Rating:
Genre: Vocal Music
Release Date: 05/31/2005

For anyone who missed any of the three original Billie Holiday Collections on Legacy, this box, which contains 54 cuts on three discs covering the years 1935 through 1939, compiles those three volumes handily. Many hits from the singer's prime are here -- even though the cover photo isn't necessarily representative. The only problem is that, soon after this was issued, Sony released a fourth volume in the series covering the end of 1939 up to the beginning of 1944, and on it were some of her greatest sides, including "Gloomy Sunday," "God Bless the Child," and "Body and Soul." Still, her original versions of tunes such as "Summertime," "Swing Brother, Swing," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Night and Day," and "I Can't Get Started" are all here along with dozens more. For the casual listener, one who came to Billie Holiday's music via the records of her many admirers, this might be a good investment because of its budget price; yet, more than likely, a single disc best-of on Columbia might better serve your needs until you're ready for an undertaking like this one.

~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

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Chuck Berry - Sax (Tenor)
Henry "Red" Allen - Trumpet
Buster Bailey - Clarinet
Danny Barker - Guitar
Bunny Berigan - Trumpet
Buck Clayton - Trumpet
Roy Eldridge - Trumpet
Benny Goodman - Clarinet
Benny Goodman - Trumpet
Freddie Green - Guitar
Johnny Hodges - Sax (Alto)
Jo Jones - Drums
Jonah Jones - Trumpet
John Kirby - Bass
Gene Krupa - Drums
Artie Shaw - Clarinet
Tab Smith - Sax (Alto)
Tab Smith - Sax (Soprano)
Claude Thornhill - Piano
Ben Webster - Sax (Tenor)
Charlie Shavers - Trumpet
Cootie Williams - Trumpet
Lester Young - Sax (Tenor)
Dave Barbour - Guitar
Joe Bushkin - Piano
Cozy Cole - Drums
Irving Fazola - Clarinet
Edmond Hall - Clarinet
Vido Musso - Clarinet
Babe Russin - Sax (Tenor)
Grachan Moncur III - Bass
Ken Kersey - Piano
Steven Berkowitz - A&R
Walter Page - Bass
Bernard Addison - Guitar
Artie Bernstein - Bass
Harry Carney - Clarinet
Harry Carney - Sax (Baritone)
Eddie Dougherty - Drums
Gordon Griffin - Trumpet
Clyde Hart - Piano
Milt Hinton - Bass
Billy Kyle - Piano
Lawrence Lucie - Guitar
Tom Mace - Clarinet
Carmen Mastren - Guitar
Teddy McRae - Sax (Tenor)
Hot Lips Page - Trumpet
Rudy Powell - Clarinet
Irving "Mouse" Randolph - Trumpet
Allan Reuss - Guitar
Phil Schaap - Consultant
Cecil Scott - Clarinet
Cecil Scott - Sax (Alto)
Cecil Scott - Sax (Tenor)
Alphonse Steele - Drums
Eddie Tompkins - Trumpet
John Trueheart - Guitar
Earle Warren - Sax (Alto)
Jack Washington - Sax (Alto)
Dicky Wells - Trombone
Sonny White - Piano
Mark Wilder - Digital Remastering
Bernie Hanighen - Original Recording Producer
Kenneth Hollon - Sax (Tenor)
Dick McDonough - Guitar
Richard Clarke - Trumpet
Ken Robertson - Transfers
Ken Robertson - Restoration
Seth Rothstein - Project Director
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
Darcy Proper - Transfers
Darcy Proper - Restoration
Margaret Johnson - Piano
Jimmy McLin - Guitar
Stanley Payne - Sax (Tenor)
Randall Martin - Design
Matt Cavaluzzo - Transfers
Matt Cavaluzzo - Restoration
Harry Coster - Transfers
Harry Coster - Restoration
Rosa Menkes - Producer
Benny Morton's All Stars - Trombone
Seth Foster - Digital Remastering
John Christiana - Packaging Manager
Darren Salmieri - Coordination
Darren Salmieri - A&R
Mark Unterberger - Packaging Manager
John Williams & the Tick Tocks - Bass
Joe "Cornbread" Thomas - Sax (Tenor)
Pete Peterson - Bass

Songs I Like to Sing!
    Helen Humes / CD / 1960
The Mel Tormé Collection
    Mel Tormé / CD / 1996
Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944)
    Billie Holiday / CD / 2001
The Queen Sings
    Dinah Washington / CD / 2002
For Lovers: Billie Holiday/Nina Simone/Sarah Vaughan
    Various Artists / CD / 2005

Release Date: 05/31/2005
Genre: vocal