| Anthology of early 1960s recordings by Jeannine Dekkers, Soeur Sourire ('Sister Smile'), often better known simply as the Singing Nun, a member of the Dominican order in Belgium who turned the pop world upside down in 1962 when her song 'Dominique' soared to the top of the Billboard chart in America and became an international hit. Her album - featured here in it's entirety - caught the mood of the time and sold almost two million copies and the program of 20 songs is augmented by two moving religious organ pieces by the French composer Olivier Messiaen, performed by Messiaen himself on the organ of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Paris in 1956. Such was the success of the record, and much to the dismay of Dekkers, a fictionalized film of her life 'The Singing Nun' was made by MGM in 1965 starring Debbie Reynolds. |
