Studio Album · No. 2
Lady Sings the Blues Songwriting Credits by Billie Holiday
Produced by Norman Granz
Holds writing credit on 2 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 2 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Billie Holiday carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Holiday interprets across most of this album, but she co-wrote two of its songs and both rank among her defining numbers. She shares the title track with pianist Herbie Nichols and 'God Bless the Child' with Arthur Herzog Jr., so her stage name appears in the lyricist column on those two while her legal name, Eleanora Fagan, carries the composer credit. Every other song comes from outside Songbook writers, from Johnny Mercer and Jimmy McHugh to Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn. 'Strange Fruit' is credited to Lewis Allan, the pen name of Abel Meeropol, so his birth name holds the composer credit there. The authorship split is clean: two Holiday co-writes and ten interpretations.
Lady Sings the Blues is a 1956 studio album by Billie Holiday, released on Norman Granz's Clef Records and sharing its title with the memoir she published the same year. It gathers two recording dates: eight songs cut in New York on June 6 and 7, 1956, and four cut in Los Angeles on September 3, 1954. Holiday works mainly as an interpreter of the Great American Songbook here, singing standards by writers such as Johnny Mercer, Jimmy McHugh, and Walter Donaldson, yet two of the songs carry her own name as co-writer. The title track pairs her with pianist Herbie Nichols, and 'God Bless the Child' pairs her with lyricist Arthur Herzog Jr. The 1956 band featured Charlie Shavers, Tony Scott, Paul Quinichette, Wynton Kelly, and Kenny Burrell, while the 1954 group brought in Harry Edison, Willie Smith, and Barney Kessel. The album also holds one of her signature performances, 'Strange Fruit,' written by Abel Meeropol under the pen name Lewis Allan.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Lady Sings the Blues
|
Billie HolidayHerbie Nichols | Eleanora FaganHerbert Horatio Nichols | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 2 |
Trav'lin' Light
|
Trummy YoungJimmy MundyJohnny Mercer | James Osborne YoungJames MundyJohn Herndon Mercer | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 3 |
I Must Have That Man
|
Dorothy FieldsJimmy McHugh | Dorothy FieldsJames Francis McHugh | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 4 |
Some Other Spring
|
Irene HigginbothamArthur Herzog Jr. | Irene HigginbothamArthur Herzog Jr. | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 5 |
Strange Fruit
|
Lewis Allan | Abel Meeropol | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 6 |
No Good Man
|
Irene HigginbothamSammy GallopDan Fisher | Irene HigginbothamSamuel GallopDan Fisher | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 7 |
God Bless the Child
|
Billie HolidayArthur Herzog Jr. | Eleanora FaganArthur Herzog Jr. | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 8 |
Good Morning Heartache
|
Irene HigginbothamErvin DrakeDan Fisher | Irene HigginbothamErvin DrakeDan Fisher | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Charlie Shavers (Trumpet)Tony Scott (Clarinet)Paul Quinichette (Tenor Saxophone)Wynton Kelly (Piano)Kenny Burrell (Guitar)Aaron Bell (Bass)Lenny McBrowne (Drums) |
| 9 |
Love Me or Leave Me
|
Walter DonaldsonGus Kahn | Walter DonaldsonGustav Gerson Kahn | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Willie Smith (Alto Saxophone)Bobby Tucker (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)Red Callender (Bass)Chico Hamilton (Drums) |
| 10 |
Too Marvelous for Words
|
Johnny MercerRichard Whiting | John Herndon MercerRichard Armstrong Whiting | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Willie Smith (Alto Saxophone)Bobby Tucker (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)Red Callender (Bass)Chico Hamilton (Drums) |
| 11 |
Willow Weep for Me
|
Ann Ronell | Ann Ronell | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Willie Smith (Alto Saxophone)Bobby Tucker (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)Red Callender (Bass)Chico Hamilton (Drums) |
| 12 |
I Thought About You
|
Jimmy Van HeusenJohnny Mercer | Edward Chester BabcockJohn Herndon Mercer | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Willie Smith (Alto Saxophone)Bobby Tucker (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)Red Callender (Bass)Chico Hamilton (Drums) |