I am fortunate to have them all. There are four 12” and one 10”, all pressed on Melotone (not the ARC Melotone). When the Bilton phonograph show used to be in New Jersey, just outside of NYC, I was lucky to get all five in one shot.
I first heard Florence in 1992 and laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. How could something so bad be so good? How can singing so bad make me so happy? And as I learned more about her life, I loved these records even more.
One thing for sure, if you are ever having a bad day and need a little pick-me-up, listen to Florence Foster Jenkins performing Queen of the Night by Mozart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ubiUIxbWE One of my friends here in Detroit owns a record store and we played this version in the store last week; it’s hard to explain but every customer in his shop was instantly smiling.
From Wiki:
Jenkins refused to open her performances to the general public, and was clearly aware of her detractors. "People may say I can't sing," she once remarked to a friend, "but no one can ever say I didn't sing."
A nice brief summary of her life:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins
RIP “Lady Florence”, your rock in my book,
Ken Flaherty