Lady Sings the Blues

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Lady Sings the Blues is Billie Holiday's sixth studio album and was released in December 1956, at the same time as her autobiography of the same title. It was her last record for Clef Records, since a year later that label was absorbed into Verve Records. The recordings come from sessions in 1954 and 1956. She is accompanied by, among others, the saxophonist Paul Quinichette, the trumpeter Charlie Shavers, the pianist Wynton Kelly and the guitarist Kenny Burrell.

The album also includes Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child and Good Morning Heartache. Her voice had, according to some, already declined in the 1950s, but the record is highly regarded: DownBeat gave it five out of five stars in 1956. On 10 November 1956 Holiday gave a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the book.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Lady Sings the Blues3:43Apple Music ↗
2. 2Trav'lin Light3:08Apple Music ↗
3. 3I Must Have That Man!3:03Apple Music ↗
4. 4Some Other Spring3:35Apple Music ↗
5. 5Strange Fruit3:02Apple Music ↗
6. 6No Good Man3:17Apple Music ↗
7. 7God Bless the Child (1956 Version)3:58Apple Music ↗
8. 8Good Morning Heartache3:28Apple Music ↗
9. 9Love Me or Leave Me2:35Apple Music ↗
10. 10Too Marvelous for Words2:11Apple Music ↗
11. 11Willow Weep for Me3:06Apple Music ↗
12. 12I Thought About You2:47Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗