Studio Album · No. 1
Music for Torching Songwriting Credits by Billie Holiday
Produced by Norman Granz
Holds writing credit on 0 of 8 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 0 / 8 documented
Scored across the 8 tracks with documented writers, by whether Billie Holiday carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 8 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Music for Torching is a pure interpreter's record. Billie Holiday wrote none of the eight songs; every title is a standard from the Great American Songbook, and the credit columns belong to the songwriters who supplied them. The common-name writers include Isham Jones and Gus Kahn ('It Had to Be You'), Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer ('Come Rain or Come Shine'), Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields ('A Fine Romance'), Cole Porter ('I Get a Kick Out of You'), and Irving Berlin ('Isn't This a Lovely Day?'). Several of those pen names mask legal names, so the composer column carries Hyman Arluck for Arlen, Israel Isidore Beilin for Berlin, Gustav Gerson Kahn for Kahn, and Albert Victor Young for Young. Holiday's contribution is the phrasing, not the writing.
Music for Torching with Billie Holiday is a studio album by Billie Holiday, released in October 1955 on Clef Records as her first 12-inch LP for the label. It gathers eight torch songs and standards from the Great American Songbook, sung by Holiday as an interpreter rather than a writer, since none of the material is her own. Producer Norman Granz recorded the sessions in Los Angeles on August 23 and 25, 1955, with a small band led by pianist Jimmy Rowles. The players include Harry 'Sweets' Edison on trumpet, Benny Carter on saxophone, Barney Kessel on guitar, John Simmons on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums. The same two sessions also yielded the follow-up album Velvet Mood, making this one half of a pair cut in a single stretch of studio time.
Track Listing & Credits 8 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
It Had to Be You
|
Gus KahnIsham Jones | Gustav Gerson KahnIsham Edgar Jones | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 2 |
Come Rain or Come Shine
|
Johnny MercerHarold Arlen | John Herndon MercerHyman Arluck | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 3 |
I Don't Want to Cry Anymore
|
Victor Schertzinger | Victor Schertzinger | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 4 |
I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You
|
Ned WashingtonBing CrosbyVictor Young | Edward Michael WashingtonHarry Lillis CrosbyAlbert Victor Young | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 5 |
A Fine Romance
|
Dorothy FieldsJerome Kern | Dorothy FieldsJerome David Kern | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 6 |
Gone with the Wind
|
Herb MagidsonAllie Wrubel | Herbert MagidsonAllie Wrubel | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 7 |
I Get a Kick Out of You
|
Cole Porter | Cole Albert Porter | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |
| 8 |
Isn't This a Lovely Day?
|
Irving Berlin | Israel Isidore Beilin | Norman Granz | Billie Holiday (Vocals)Harry Edison (Trumpet)Benny Carter (Saxophone)Jimmy Rowles (Piano)Barney Kessel (Guitar)John Simmons (Bass)Larry Bunker (Drums) |