Billie Holiday discography
| Billie Holiday discography | |
|---|---|
 Photo from Down Beat magazine, c. February 1947 | |
| Studio albums | 12 |
| Live albums | 3 |
| Compilation albums | 24 |
| Singles | 38 |
| Box sets | 6 |
The discography of Billie Holiday, an American jazz singer, consists of 12 studio albums, three live albums, 24 compilations, six box sets, and 38 singles.
Holiday recorded extensively for six labels: Columbia Records (on its subsidiary labels Brunswick Records, Vocalion Records, and Okeh Records), from 1933 through 1942; Commodore Records in 1939 and 1944; Decca Records from 1944 through 1950; briefly for Aladdin Records in 1951; Verve Records and its earlier imprint Clef Records, from 1952 through 1957; again for Columbia Records from 1957 to 1958 and MGM Records in 1959. Many of Holiday's recordings were released on 78-rpm records, before the advent of long-playing vinyl records, and only Clef, Verve, and Columbia issued Holiday albums during her lifetime that were not compilations of previously released material. Many compilations have been issued since her death, including comprehensive box sets and live recordings.[1][2]
Studio albums
Clef Records and Verve Records, 1952–1958
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1952 | Billie Holiday Sings
|
| 1953 | An Evening with Billie Holiday
|
| 1954 | Billie Holiday
|
| 1955 | Music for Torching
|
| 1956 | Recital[3][4]
|
Solitude[5][6]
| |
Velvet Mood
| |
Lady Sings the Blues
| |
| 1957 | Body and Soul
|
Songs for Distingué Lovers
| |
| 1958 | Stay with Me
|
All or Nothing at All
|
Columbia Records and MGM Records, 1958–1959
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK Jazz & Blues [8] | ||
| Lady in Satin | 11 | |
| Last Recording |
|
— |
Live albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic
|
| 1958 | Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport
|
| 1961 | The Essential Billie Holiday: Carnegie Hall Concert Recorded Live
|
| 1962 | Ladylove[10][11][12]
|
| 1964 | A Rare Live Recording of Billie Holiday
|
| 1971 | Count Basie, At the Savoy Ballroom 1937[13]
|
Compilation albums
Most of Holiday's albums prior to 1952 were made up of material previously released as singles.
1940s
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Billie Holiday |
|
| Fancy Free |
|
| Teddy Wilson–Billie Holiday, Hot Jazz Classics |
|
| A Hot Jazz Classic Set, Vol. 1 |
|
| Distinctive Song Stylings |
|
| Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra Featuring Billie Holiday |
|
1950s
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [15] | ||||||
| An Evening with Eddie Heywood and Billie Holiday |
|
— | ||||
| Ella, Lena and Billie |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday Sings |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday Volume One |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday Volume Two |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson |
|
— | ||||
| Favorites |
|
— | ||||
| Lover Man (10") |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson Orchestras |
|
— | ||||
| Lady Day |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday Volume One |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday Volume Two |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday Volume Three |
|
— | ||||
| A Collection of Classic Jazz Interpretations by Billie Holiday |
|
— | ||||
| A Recital by Billie Holiday |
|
— | ||||
| Solitude |
|
— | ||||
| Hall of Fame Series (7") |
|
— | ||||
| Jazz Recital (partial reissue of Billie Holiday at JATP) |
|
— | ||||
| The Lady Sings |
|
— | ||||
| The Sound of Jazz (various artists) |
|
— | ||||
| The Unforgettable Lady Day |
|
— | ||||
| The Blues Are Brewin' |
|
— | ||||
| Lover Man |
|
— | ||||
| Billie Holiday |
|
— | ||||
| Seven Ages of Jazz |
|
— | ||||
| The Billie Holiday Story |
|
85 | ||||
1960s
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits |
|
1970s
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [15] | ||
| Strange Fruit |
|
108 |
| The Original Recordings |
|
135 |
1980s
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] |
UK Jazz & Blues [8] | |||
| The Legend Of Billie Holiday | 60 | 7 | ||
| At Monterey |
|
— | — | |
1990s
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Jazz [17] |
UK [8] |
UK Jazz & Blues [8] | |||
| Billie's Best |
|
29 | — | — | |
| 16 Most Requested Songs |
|
— | — | — | |
| The Essential Recordings |
|
— | — | 22 |
|
| Billie's Blues |
|
— | — | 6 | |
| Love Me or Leave Me |
|
— | — | 9 | |
| The Gold Collection: 40 Classic Performances |
|
— | — | 19 | |
| 40 Great Songs |
|
— | — | 7 | |
| Love Songs |
|
23 | — | 23 | |
| Lady Day – The Very Best Of |
|
— | 63 | 1 | |
| A Portrait of Billie Holiday |
|
— | — | 7 | |
| Greatest Hits |
|
— | — | 28 | |
| Fine and Mellow – The Best of Billie Holiday |
|
— | — | 9 | |
| A Midsummer Night's Jazz at Stratford '57 |
|
— | — | — | |
| The Very Best of Billie Holiday |
|
— | — | 1 | |
2000s
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [15] |
US Jazz [17] |
UK Jazz & Blues [8] | ||
| Ken Burns Jazz: The Definitive Billie Holiday |
|
174 | 5 | — |
| Billie Holiday |
|
— | 47 | — |
| Stormy Weather |
|
— | — | 9 |
| Holiday Blues |
|
— | — | 13 |
| Lady Day Swings |
|
— | — | — |
| Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday |
|
— | 25 | — |
| The Best of Billie Holiday |
|
— | 19 | — |
| Holiday for Lovers |
|
— | 37 | — |
| The Jazz Biography |
|
— | 41 | — |
| Summertime – The Very Best of Billie Holiday |
|
— | — | 3 |
| Sings Her Favorite Blues Songs |
|
— | — | 12 |
| The Essential Hits |
|
— | — | 14 |
| The Silver Collection |
|
— | — | 21 |
| The Great American Songbook |
|
— | — | 11 |
| Super Hits |
|
— | 43 | — |
| The Worth It Collection |
|
— | — | 9 |
| The Complete Billie Holiday |
|
122 | 1 | — |
2010s
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Jazz [17] |
UK Jazz & Blues [8] | ||
| Icon: Love Songs |
|
25 | — |
| The Real... Billie Holiday (The Ultimate Collection) |
|
— | 16 |
| 101: Billie Holiday The Best Of |
|
45 | — |
| The Centennial Collection |
|
8 | 30 |
| 88 Hits |
|
— | 5 |
| 60 Essential Recordings |
|
— | 2 |
Box sets
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Jazz [17] |
UK Jazz & Blues [8] | ||
| Billie Holiday on Verve 1946–1959 |
|
— | — |
| Rare/Unissued Recordings From Her Transitional Years[21] |
|
— | — |
| The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945–1959 |
|
— | — |
| Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944 |
|
— | — |
| The Ultimate Collection |
|
33 | — |
| The Complete Verve Studio Master Takes |
|
— | — |
| The Essential Collection |
|
— | 10 |
| That Old Devil Called Love |
|
— | 12 |
| Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles |
|
22 | — |
| The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters |
|
— | — |
| Her Finest Studio Recordings |
|
— | 26 |
| 100 Hits Legends: Billie Holiday |
|
— | 2 |
| The Complete Decca Recordings |
|
17 | — |
Remix albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance/ Electr. [23] |
US Jazz [17] | ||
| Remixed & Reimagined |
|
3 | 5 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US R&B | |||||
| "Riffin' the Scotch" | 1934 | 6 | — | |||
| "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" | 1935 | 12 | — | |||
| "Twenty-Four Hours a Day" | 6 | — | ||||
| "If You Were Mine" | 12 | — | ||||
| "You Let Me Down" | 1936 | 18 | — | |||
| "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" | 5 | — | ||||
| "It's Like Reaching for the Moon" | 17 | — | ||||
| "No Regrets" | 9 | — | ||||
| "Summertime" | 12 | — | ||||
| "A Fine Romance" | 9 | — | ||||
| "Let's Call a Heart a Heart" | 18 | — | ||||
| "The Way You Look Tonight" | 3 | — | ||||
| "Who Loves You?" | 4 | — | ||||
| "That's Life, I Guess" | 20 | — | ||||
| "I Can't Give You Anything but Love (Dear)" | 5 | — | ||||
| "Pennies from Heaven" | 1937 | 3 | — | |||
| "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" | 4 | — | ||||
| "Please Keep Me in Your Dreams" | 13 | — | ||||
| "This Year's Kisses" | 8 | — | ||||
| "Carelessly" | 1 | — | ||||
| "How Could You" | 12 | — | ||||
| "Moanin' Low" | 11 | — | ||||
| "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | 12 | — | ||||
| "Mean to Me" | 7 | — | ||||
| "Easy Living" | 15 | — | ||||
| "Yours & Mine" | 16 | — | ||||
| "Me, Myself, and I" | 11 | — | ||||
| "A Sailboat in the Moonlight" | 10 | — | ||||
| "Getting Some Fun Out of Life" | 10 | — | ||||
| "Trav'lin' All Alone" | 18 | — | ||||
| "Nice Work If You Can Get It" | 14 | — | ||||
| "My Man" | 1938 | 12 | — | |||
| "You Go to My Head" | 20 | — | ||||
| "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart" | 2 | — | ||||
| "Strange Fruit" | 1939 | 16 | — | |||
| "God Bless the Child" | 1941 | 25 | — | |||
| "Trav'lin' Light" | 1942 | 23 | 1 | |||
| "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" | 1945 | 16 | 5 | |||
| "Don't Explain" | 1946 | — | — | |||
Compositions
- 1936: "Billie's Blues" (also known as "I Love My Man")
- 1939: "Our Love Is Different"
- 1939: "Long Gone Blues"
- 1939: "Fine and Mellow"
- 1939: "Everything Happens for the Best"
- 1940: "Tell Me More and More and Then Some"
- 1941: "God Bless the Child"
- 1944: "Don't Explain"
- 1949: "Somebody's on My Mind"
- 1949: "Now or Never"
- 1954: "Stormy Blues"
- 1956: "Lady Sings the Blues"
Never recorded
- 1939: "Lost at the Crossroads of Love"
- 1940: "Say I'm Yours Again"
- 1949: "Close Dem Eyes My Darlin'"
- 1952: "Please Don't Do It in Here"
- 1952: "You'd Do It Anyway"
- 1955: "Preacher Boy"
- 1957: "Left Alone"
- 1957: "Who Needs You (Baby)"
Notes
- ^ "Billie Holiday Long Play Discography". Billieholidaysongs.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012.
- ^ Billie Holiday. AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ Discogs, 'Recital' entry https://www.discogs.com/Billie-Holiday-Recital-By-Billie-Holiday/release/4196672
- ^ AllMusic, 'Recital' entry https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-recital-mw0000912340
- ^ Discogs, 'Solitude' entry https://www.discogs.com/Billie-Holiday-Solitude/release/4617997
- ^ AllMusic, 'Solitude' entry https://www.allmusic.com/album/solitude-verve-mw0000102964
- ^ Discogs. Retrieved 2014-10-08
- ^ a b c d e f g h "BILLIE HOLIDAY | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Discogs. Retrieved 2014-10-08
- ^ Record notes, Billie Holiday: Ladylove (or Lady Love), United Artists Records, UAL 8073; notes by Leonard Feather and LeRoi Jones.
- ^ Billie Holiday – Ladylove, discogs.com. Accessed 29 December 2014
- ^ Lady Love, 1962.
- ^ Count Basie, At the Savoy Ballroom 1937. Discogs.com. Accessed April 6, 2016.
- ^ "ビリー・ホリデイ 奇妙な果実 | UCCU-5760 | 4988031178478". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Billie Holiday | Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
- ^ "British album certifications – Billie Holiday – The Legend Of Billie Holiday". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ a b c d e "Billie Holiday | Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
- ^ "British album certifications – Billie Holiday – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "101: Billie Holiday The Best Of - Billie Holiday | Release Credits | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "101 - The Best of Billie Holiday - Compilation by Billie Holiday". Spotify. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ McDonald, Ian (5 March 1991). "boxet review". Q Magazine. 55: 91.
- ^ "100 Hits Legends: Billie Holiday | Releases | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Billie Holiday | Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
- ^ "Song artist 250 – Billie Holiday". Tsort. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
References
- Billie Holiday – Lady Love (liner notes by Leonard Feather and LeRoi Jones). United Artists Records, UAJ-14014. 1962.Lady Love is a 1962 issue of selections from a concert in Basel, Switzerland, February 4, 1954, during Holiday's 1954 European tour, "Jazz Club U.S.A." The location and date of this session had been previously listed incorrectly as a concert in Cologne, January 23, 1954. The correction was supplied by Arild Widerøe, a Swiss Jazz discographer. The master recording was taken from a tape supplied by Roman Flury, a musicologist and editor at Radio Basel (the station ran from 1926 to 1972) and given to Leonard Feather (Billie Holiday [H7137]. The Jazz Discography Online. [see The Jazz Discography]. Retrieved September 15, 2022.).
- Side A:
- Announcement, by Leonard Feather 0:26
- "Blue Moon" 2:08
- "All of Me" 1:38
- "My Man" 2:45
- "Them There Eyes" 1:30
- "I Cried For You" 3:10
- "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" 2:25
- "I Cover The Waterfront" 3:10
- Side B:
- "Billie's Blues" 11:28
- "Lover, Come Back to Me" 6:35
- Personnel:
- Bass – Red Mitchell (tracks: A2 to B2)
- Clarinet – Buddy DeFranco (tracks: B1, B2)
- Drums – Elaine Leighton (de) (1926–2012) (Beryl Booker's drummer) (tracks: A2 to B2)
- Guitar – Jimmy Raney (tracks: B1, B2)
- Liner Notes (Translation in French) – Leonard Feather
- Photography – Buck Hoeffler (né Paul J. Hoeffler; 1937–2005)
- Piano – Beryl Booker (tracks: B1, B2), Carl Drinkard (né Carlton Mark Drinkard; 1927–) (tracks: A2 to A8), Sonny Clark (tracks: B1, B2)
- Vibraphone – Red Norvo (tracks: B1, B2)
- Vocals – Billie Holiday (tracks: A2 to B2)
- Jepsen, Jørgen Grunnet [in German] (1969) [1960?]. A Discography of Billie Holiday (author's surname is often misspelled in library catalogs as "Jepson"). Copenhagen: Karl Emil Knudsen (nl) (publisher) – via Internet Archive (ARChive of Contemporary Music). OCLC 879783 (all editions).
- Millar, Jack (1994) [1979]. Fine and Mellow: A Discography of Billie Holiday [Born to Sing: A Discography of Billie Holiday]. London: Billie Holiday Circle – via Internet Archive (ARChive of Contemporary Music). LCCN 93-169341; ISBN 1-8991-6100-7; OCLC 8435589 (all editions).
