A division of Telstar Records, Ronco appears to have been basically one of those TV-advertised-Greatest-Hits labels which sprang into life in the late '70s. Its glory days seem to have been over by 1985 but it was still going as late as 2002. Ronco specialized in LPs, but it released at least a couple of 7" records. 1973 saw a Various Artists EP of Rock 'n' Roll songs, a companion volume to a double album based on the film 'That'll Be the Day'. In addition to the tracks shown above (1) the EP offered Billy Fury's 'A Thousand Stars' and 'Slow Down' by Eugene Wallace. Its catalogue number was MREP-001. There was then a gap before a single, the Richmond String Orchestra's version of 'Boots And Saddles' (RTS-2001; 5/'76). Despite its gunshots and its generally jaunty air the single seems to have sunk without trace. The 'B' side, 'The Swing Era', was by the Mike Sammes Singers; both tracks were taken from an LP called 'America - the music 1776-1976'. Distribution was by Pye.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.