May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You

Words and Music by Meredith Willson

Arranged by Jack Andrews

Perry Como with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra

and The Ray Charles Singers

Produced by Joe Reisman

Recorded in RCA Victor's Studio A, New York,

Recording Engineer: Bob Simpson

Recording Time 2:41

Recorded June 19th, 1958 ~ Matrix No. J2PB-4576 Take 11

SESSION MUSICIANS

Similar to June 23, 1958 ( Exact line-up not available )

A&R Joe Reisman

Orchestra

Leader: Mitchell Ayres

Contractor: Henry "Hank" Ross

Sax ~ Harry Terrill

Sax ~ Bernard Kaufman

Sax ~ Abraham Richman

Sax ~ Irving Horowitz

Trumpet ~ Joseph Wilder

Violin ~ Sylvan Shulman

Violin ~ Max Hollander

Violin ~ Harry Glickman

Violin ~ Arnold Eidus

Violin ~ Raoul Poliakin

Violin ~ Felix Orlewitz

Violin ~ Samuel Rand

Violin ~ Tosha Samaroff

Violin ~ Mac Ceppos

Violin ~ Jack Zayde

Violin ~ Harry Melnikoff

Violin ~ Fred Buldrini

Viola ~ Isadore Zir

Viola ~ Howard Kay

Viola ~ Leon Frengut

Viola ~ Harold Furmansky

Cello ~ Maurice Bialkin

Cello ~ Lucien Schmit

Cello ~ Harvey Shapiro

Cello ~ Abram Borodkin

Piano ~ Henry Rowland

Guitar ~ Al Caiola

Guitar ~ Danny Perri

Guitar ~ Thomas Kay

Bass ~ George Duvivier

Drums ~ Terry Snyder

Drums ~ Arthur Marotti

Harp ~ Gloria Agostini

French Horn ~ Anthony Miranda

French Horn ~ Fred Klein

Album issue: RCA-LP12 "When You Come to the End of the Day" LSP-1885 STEREO OCTOBER 1958

'The Big Show' was American radio network's dying gasp in the late 1940s, but what a gasp it was. Tallulah Bankhead was MC, and Fred Allen, Groucho Marx, and Meredith Willson were regulars. At the end of each show Miss Bankhead spoke the ltrics to this song over the melody played by Mr. Willson's orchestra. Composer Willson said that the inspiration for the song came from his mother , who was a Sunday school teacher. Perry's version, simple and direct, was very popular when he performed it on his own TV show.

( notes from "The Incomparable Como" Readers Digest UK compilation 1975 )