Studio Album · No. 6

All or Nothing at All Songwriting Credits by Billie Holiday

1958 Verve Records 12 tracks 51 min

Produced by Norman Granz

Verve Records Vocal JazzJazz
0%
Authorship
Singer / Performer

Holds writing credit on 0 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 0 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Billie Holiday carries a lyricist or composer credit.

0%
0 trackswritten by Billie Holiday 12 tracksoutside writers
Billie Holiday's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist0%
Composer0%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
11
Lyricists
1
Producers
1958
Released
Data Insight

Every song on All or Nothing at All is a standard written by other songwriters; Billie Holiday's role is purely interpretive and she holds no writing credit on any track. The credits belong to the authors of the Great American Songbook - Duke Ellington and Bob Russell, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash, the Gershwins - and the composer column carries their legal birth names where those differ from the names on the labels, such as Israel Isidore Beilin for Irving Berlin, Jacob Gershwine for George Gershwin, and Jacob Louis Schwartz for Jack Lawrence. The value Holiday adds is phrasing and interpretation, not authorship. The record is a singer's album built entirely on borrowed material.

All or Nothing at All is a studio album by Billie Holiday, released in 1958 on Verve Records with catalog number MGV8329. Its twelve tracks were drawn from sessions Holiday cut for Norman Granz in August 1956 and January 1957, backed by a small group of mainstream-jazz players. Holiday interprets a program of American standards, from Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin to the Gershwins and Kurt Weill, with trumpeter Harry Edison and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster answering her phrasing. Pianist Jimmy Rowles, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassists Red Mitchell and Joe Mondragon, and drummer Alvin Stoller fill out the rhythm section. The record is a late-career interpreter's album: Holiday wrote none of the material and instead reshapes each song through her voice. Norman Granz produced the sessions, and the album stands among the stronger sets of her Verve years.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Do Nothing till You Hear from Me
Bob Russell Edward Kennedy EllingtonSidney Keith Rosenthal Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
2
Cheek to Cheek
Irving Berlin Israel Isidore Beilin Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
3
Ill Wind
Ted Koehler Hyman ArluckTed L. Koehler Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
4
Speak Low
Ogden Nash Kurt Julian WeillFrederic Ogden Nash Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
5
We'll Be Together Again
Frankie Laine Carl Theodore FischerFrancesco Paolo LoVecchio Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
6
All or Nothing at All
Jack Lawrence Arthur AltmanJacob Louis Schwartz Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
7
Sophisticated Lady
Irving MillsMitchell Parish Edward Kennedy EllingtonIsadore MinskyMichael Hyman Pashelinsky Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
8
April in Paris
E. Y. Harburg Vladimir Aleksandrovich DukelskyIsidore Hochberg Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
9
I Wished on the Moon
Dorothy Parker Ralph ReichenthalDorothy Rothschild Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
10
But Not for Me
Ira Gershwin Jacob GershwineIsrael Gershovitz Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
11
Say It Isn't So
Irving Berlin Israel Isidore Beilin Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)
12
Our Love Is Here to Stay
Ira Gershwin Jacob GershwineIsrael Gershovitz Norman Granz Billie Holiday (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 32 contributors

More from Billie Holiday

Frequently Asked Questions All or Nothing at All

Did Billie Holiday write any songs on All or Nothing at All?
No. Every track is a standard written by other songwriters. Holiday interprets the material and holds no writing credit anywhere on the album.
Who wrote the title track 'All or Nothing at All'?
It was written by composer Arthur Altman and lyricist Jack Lawrence, whose legal birth name was Jacob Louis Schwartz.
When was the album recorded?
The twelve tracks come from Verve sessions Holiday recorded in August 1956 and January 1957, gathered and released as an LP in 1958.
Who produced All or Nothing at All?
Norman Granz, the founder of Verve Records, produced the sessions.
Which musicians play on the album?
The backing includes Harry Edison on trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell and Joe Mondragon on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums.
What kind of songs are on the album?
American popular standards, including Ellington's 'Sophisticated Lady,' Berlin's 'Cheek to Cheek,' and the Gershwins' 'But Not for Me' and 'Our Love Is Here to Stay.'
What label released the album and under what catalog number?
Verve Records issued it in 1958 with catalog number MGV8329.

Sources