By Sarah Nealon
Three million records ago, international success was just a tinkle in Carl Doy's ivories. Today, the Auckland pianist is celebrating the release across the United States of a 10-CD set of his easy-listening albums.
His latest project is Piano by Candlelight - The Collection, a boxed set of CDs showcasing the music of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Barbra Streisand among others, with musicians from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Half the CDs have been digitally remastered from Doy's earlier albums, which have sold more than three million copies worldwide, more than two million of them in the United States.
The other five are new recordings made in the studio at his Browns Bay home.
"It was a major undertaking," Doy said this week. "It took about two months to decide on the tracks we were going to record. We started off with about 2000 songs and had to whittle those down."
Doy's commercial success began 12 years ago when record producer Murray Thom wandered into an Auckland hotel for a cup of coffee. He heard something he knew would be a winner - Doy playing lounge music in the foyer of the Regent (now Stamford Plaza).
The two got talking, and within months Doy's first Piano by Candlelight album was released.
Featuring popular tunes like Wind Beneath My Wings and From A Distance, the album became a smash hit. Within a year, it sold 50,000 copies in New Zealand.
Riding high on this domestic success, Doy recorded several more albums over the next decade.
A veteran of the New Zealand music industry for more than 20 years, Doy has based his career firmly around his passion.
"I love music, but it's pretty difficult to make a reasonable living as a musician in Auckland. You have to diversify. You can't just stick to one speciality. I've been a performer, conducter, arranger and producer."
These skills have seen Doy involved with a number of projects. He produced Martin Winch's successful Espresso Guitar CD and is arranging some music for Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
The box set is not yet available in New Zealand record stores because, Thom says, it was designed for the American market.
"With the exchange rate the way it is at the moment, it's more profitable for us to sell it in the United States. All our efforts have gone into developing our Website and the American market, but the set should be available in the shops later this year."
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