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 Released: 1952 Recorded: March 26, 1952 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 118 (10" LP) Mercury 89002 (four 78-rpm records)
1953	An Evening with Billie Holiday Released: 1953 Recorded: April 1, 1952; July 27, 1952 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 144 (10" LP) Mercury 89028 (four 78-rpm records)
1954	Billie Holiday Released: 1954 Recorded: April 1, 1952; April 14, 1954 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 161 (10" LP) Mercury 89045 (four 78-rpm records)
1955	Music for Torching Released: October 1955 Recorded: August 23 and 25, 1955 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 669 / Verve MV 2595 Format: LP
1956	Recital[3][4] Released: 1956 Recorded: April 1, 1952; July 27, 1952; April 14, 1954 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 686 / Verve MGV-8027 Format: LP (reissue of 10" LPs An Evening with Billie Holiday and Billie Holiday)
	Solitude[5][6] Released: 1956 Recorded: 1952 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 690 / Verve MGV-8074 Format: LP (reissue of 10" LP Billie Holiday Sings)
	Velvet Mood Released: 1956 Recorded: August 23 and 25, 1955 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 713 Format: LP
	Lady Sings the Blues Released: 1956 Recorded: June 6 and 7, 1956; September 3, 1954 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 721, Verve MV 2047 Format: LP
1957	Body and Soul Released: 1957 Recorded: January 3, 4, 7, and 9, 1957 Label: Verve Records Verve MGV 8197 Format: LP
	Songs for Distingué Lovers Released: 1957 Recorded: January 3, 4, 7, and 8, 1957 Label: Verve Records Verve MGV 8257, Verve 2352 085 Format: LP
1958	Stay with Me Released: 1958[7] Recorded: February 14, 1955 Label: Verve Records Verve MGV 8302 Format: LP
	All or Nothing at All Released: 1958 Recorded: August 14 and 18, 1956; January 3, 7, and 8, 1957 Label: Verve Records Verve MGV 8329 Format: LP

Columbia Records and MGM Records, 1958–1959

List of albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		UK Jazz & Blues [8]
Lady in Satin	Released: June 1958 Recorded: February 19–21, 1958 Label: Columbia (#CL 1157) Format: LP	11
Last Recording	Released: July 1959 Recorded: March 3, 4, and 11, 1959 Label: MGM (#3764) Format: LP	—

Live albums

Year	Album details
1954	Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic Released: 1954 Recorded: February 12, 1945; June 3 and October 7, 1946 Label: Clef Records Clef MGC 169 (10" LP) Mercury 89053 (four 78-rpm records)
1958	Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport Released: 1957 Recorded: July 4–6, 1957 Label: Verve Records Verve MGV 8234 Format: LP
1961	The Essential Billie Holiday: Carnegie Hall Concert Recorded Live Released: 1961[9] Recorded: November 10, 1956 Label: Verve Records Verve V6-8410 Format: LP
1962	Ladylove[10][11][12] Released: 1962 Recorded: January–February 1954 (live, in Germany) Label: United Artists Records Format: LP
1964	A Rare Live Recording of Billie Holiday Released: 1964 Recorded: October 28 and November 1, 1951, Storyville Club, Boston Label: Recording Industries M2001 Format: LP
1971	Count Basie, At the Savoy Ballroom 1937[13] Holiday sings two songs, with Basie's band Released: 1971 Recorded: 1937 Label: SagaPan PAN 6903 Format: LP

Compilation albums

Most of Holiday's albums prior to 1952 were made up of material previously released as singles.

1940s

List of compilation albums released in the 1940s

Title	Album details
Billie Holiday	Released: 1946 Label: Commodore (#CR-2), Universal Music Classic (#UCCU-5760)[14] Format: 78 rpm records, CD
Fancy Free	Released: 1946 Label: Decca (#DA-406) Format: 78 rpm records
Teddy Wilson–Billie Holiday, Hot Jazz Classics	Released: 1947 Label: Columbia (#C-61) Format: 78 rpm records
A Hot Jazz Classic Set, Vol. 1	Released: 1947 Label: Columbia (#C-135) Format: 78 rpm records
Distinctive Song Stylings	Released: 1947 Label: Decca (#A-652) Format: 78 rpm records
Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra Featuring Billie Holiday	Released: 1949 Label: Columbia (#CL-6040) Format: LP

1950s

List of compilation albums released in the 1950s, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [15]
An Evening with Eddie Heywood and Billie Holiday	Released: 1950 Label: Commodore (#FL 30001) Format: LP	—
Ella, Lena and Billie	Released: 1950 Label: Columbia (#CL 2531) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday Sings	Released: 1950 Label: Columbia (#CL 6129) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday Volume One	Released: 1950 Label: Commodore (#20005) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday Volume Two	Released: 1950 Label: Commodore (#20006) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson	Released: 1951 Label: Columbia (#ESDF 1038) Format: LP	—
Favorites	Released: 1951 Label: Columbia (#CL 6163) Format: LP	—
Lover Man (10")	Released: 1951 Label: Decca (#DL 5345) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson Orchestras	Released: 1954 Label: Columbia (#33 S 1034) Format: LP	—
Lady Day	Released: 1954 Label: Columbia (#CL 637) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday Volume One	Released: 1954 Label: Jolly Roger (#5020) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday Volume Two	Released: 1954 Label: Jolly Roger (#5021) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday Volume Three	Released: 1954 Label: Jolly Roger (#5022) Format: LP	—
A Collection of Classic Jazz Interpretations by Billie Holiday	Released: 1955 Label: Columbia (#B-1949) Format: LP	—
A Recital by Billie Holiday	Released: 1956 Label: Clef (#MGC 686) Format: LP	—
Solitude	Released: 1956 Label: Clef (#MGC 690), Verve (#V6-8074) Format: LP	—
Hall of Fame Series (7")	Released: 1956 Label: Columbia (#B-2534) Format: LP	—
Jazz Recital (partial reissue of Billie Holiday at JATP)	Released: 1956 Label: Verve (#MGC 718) Format: LP	—
The Lady Sings	Released: 1956 Label: Decca (#DL 8215) Format: LP	—
The Sound of Jazz (various artists)	Released: 1957 Label: Columbia (#CL 1098) Format: LP	—
The Unforgettable Lady Day	Released: 1957 Label: Verve (#V 8338-2) Format: 2×LP	—
The Blues Are Brewin'	Released: 1958 Label: Decca (#DL 8701) Format: LP	—
Lover Man	Released: 1958 Label: Decca (#DL 8702) Format: LP	—
Billie Holiday	Released: 1958 Label: Commodore (#30008) Format: LP	—
Seven Ages of Jazz	Released: 1959 Label: MetroJazz (#1009) Format: LP	—
The Billie Holiday Story	Released: 1959 (Canada), 1972 (US) Label: Decca (#DXB-161) Format: LP	85

1960s

List of compilation albums released in the 1960s

Title	Album details
Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits	Released: 1967 Label: Columbia (#CL 2666) Format: LP

1970s

List of compilation albums released in the 1970s, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [15]
Strange Fruit	Released: 1972 Label: Atlantic (#SD 1614) Format: LP	108
The Original Recordings	Released: 1973 Label: Columbia (#C 32060) Format: LP	135

1980s

List of compilation albums released in the 1980s, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions		Certifications
		UK [8]	UK Jazz & Blues [8]
The Legend Of Billie Holiday	Released: 1985 Label: MCA (#BHTV1) Format: LP, CD, cassette	60	7	BPI: Gold[16]
At Monterey	Released: 1986 Recorded: 1958 Label: Blackhawk (#50701) Format: CD	—	—

1990s

List of compilation albums released in the 1990s, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions			Certifications
		US Jazz [17]	UK [8]	UK Jazz & Blues [8]
Billie's Best	Released: 1992 Label: Verve (#P2-13943) Format: CD	29	—	—
16 Most Requested Songs	Released: 1993 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#CK 53776) Format: CD	—	—	—
The Essential Recordings	Released: 1993 Label: Music Club (#MCCD 095) Format: CD, cassette	—	—	22	BPI: Silver[18]
Billie's Blues	Released: 1995 Label: Rolled Gold (#RGCD1054) Format: CD	—	—	6
Love Me or Leave Me	Released: 1995 Label: Hallmark (#302412) Format: CD	—	—	9
The Gold Collection: 40 Classic Performances	Released: 1995 Label: Dejavu Retro (#R2CD 40-06) Format: CD	—	—	19
40 Great Songs	Released: 1996 Label: Musketeer (#MUCD9507) Format: CD	—	—	7
Love Songs	Released: 1996 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#CK 64853) Format: CD, cassette	23	—	23
Lady Day – The Very Best Of	Released: 1997 Label: Columbia (#MOODCD52) Format: CD, cassette, minidisc	—	63	1
A Portrait of Billie Holiday	Released: 1997 Label: Gallerie (#GALE 409) Format: CD	—	—	7
Greatest Hits	Released: 1998 Label: Columbia (#CK 65757) Format: CD	—	—	28
Fine and Mellow – The Best of Billie Holiday	Released: 1999 Label: Columbia (#494640 2) Format: CD	—	—	9
A Midsummer Night's Jazz at Stratford '57	Released: 1999 Recorded: 1957 Label: Baldwin Street (#308) Format: CD	—	—	—
The Very Best of Billie Holiday	Released: 1999 Label: Verve (#547 494-2) Format: CD	—	—	1

2000s

List of compilation albums released in the 2000s, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [15]	US Jazz [17]	UK Jazz & Blues [8]
Ken Burns Jazz: The Definitive Billie Holiday	Released: 2001 Label: Verve (#P2 49081) Format: CD	174	5	—
Billie Holiday	Released: 2001 Label: Direct Source Special Products Inc. (#PST 14572) Format: CD	—	47	—
Stormy Weather	Released: 2001 Label: Black Box (#BB242) Format: CD	—	—	9
Holiday Blues	Released: 2001 Label: Planet Media (#PML 1078) Format: CD	—	—	13
Lady Day Swings	Released: 2002 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#COL 508608 2) Format: CD	—	—	—
Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday	Released: 2002 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#C2K 85979) Format: CD	—	25	—
The Best of Billie Holiday	Released: 2002 Label: Hip-O, Verve (#B0007788-02) Format: CD	—	19	—
Holiday for Lovers	Released: 2002 Label: Verve (#314 589 932-2) Format: CD	—	37	—
The Jazz Biography	Released: 2004 Label: United Audio Entertainment (#TJB 55092) Format: CD	—	41	—
Summertime – The Very Best of Billie Holiday	Released: 2005 Label: UCJ (#983111-3) Format: CD	—	—	3
Sings Her Favorite Blues Songs	Released: 2006 Label: Disky (#SI 903623) Format: CD	—	—	12
The Essential Hits	Released: 2006 Label: Spectrum (#9813493) Format: CD	—	—	14
The Silver Collection	Released: 2007 Label: Spectrum (#9846639)	—	—	21
The Great American Songbook	Released: 2007 Label: Not Now Music (#NOT2CD220)	—	—	11
Super Hits	Released: 2008 Label: Sony (#A 727899) Format: CD	—	43	—
The Worth It Collection	Released: 2008 Label: Spectrum (#WITUNI22)	—	—	9
The Complete Billie Holiday	Released: 2009 Label: X5 Format: Digital download	122	1	—

2010s

List of compilation albums released in the 2010s, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Jazz [17]	UK Jazz & Blues [8]
Icon: Love Songs	Released: 2011 Label: Verve, Decca (#B0015105-02) Format: CD	25	—
The Real... Billie Holiday (The Ultimate Collection)	Released: 2011 Label: Columbia, Sony (#88691900762) Format: CD	—	16
101: Billie Holiday The Best Of	Released: 2013[19] Label: Ap[20] Format: Digital download, Online streaming	45	—
The Centennial Collection	Released: 2015 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#88875048762) Format: CD	8	30
88 Hits	Released: 2015 Label: 99 Music (#3661318036883)	—	5
60 Essential Recordings	Released: 2018 Label: Big3 (#BT3192) Format: CD	—	2

Box sets

List of box sets, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Jazz [17]	UK Jazz & Blues [8]
Billie Holiday on Verve 1946–1959	Released: 1985 Label: Polydor Japan (#00MJ 3480/9) Format: 10 LPs with 134 monaural tracks, including four previously unreleased takes	—	—
Rare/Unissued Recordings From Her Transitional Years[21]	Released: 1991 Label: Bellaphon (#62550002/3/6/7) Format: 4×CD	—	—
The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945–1959	Released: 1992 Label: Verve (#314 513 859-2) Format: 10 CDs, 256 tracks	—	—
Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944	Released: 2001 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#CXK 85470) Format: 10 CDs, 230 tracks	—	—
The Ultimate Collection	Released: 2005 Label: Verve, Decca, Hip-O (#B0003918-00) Format: 2×CD, 1 DVD	33	—
The Complete Verve Studio Master Takes	Released: 2005 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#CXK 85470) Format: 6 CDs, 100 tracks, recorded 1952–1959, 24-bit digital remastering, limited edition	—	—
The Essential Collection	Released: 2005 Label: Rolled Gold (#RGTCD5016) Format: 2×CD	—	10
That Old Devil Called Love	Released: 2006 Label: Ground Floor (#GRFL010) Format: 2×CD	—	12
Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles	Released: 2007 Label: Columbia (#88697) Format: 4 CDs, 80 tracks	22	—
The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters	Released: 2009 Label: Hip-O Select (#BC013146-02) Format: 3 CDs, 49 remastered tracks	—	—
Her Finest Studio Recordings	Released: 2009 Label: Big3 (#BT 3007) Format: 3×CD	—	26
100 Hits Legends: Billie Holiday	Released: July 5, 2010[22] Label: Demon (#LEGENDS 017) Format: 5×CD	—	2
The Complete Decca Recordings	Released: 2022 Label: Verve, Decca (# B0036066-01) Format: 4×LP	17	—

Remix albums

List of remix albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Dance/ Electr. [23]	US Jazz [17]
Remixed & Reimagined	Released: Aug 7, 2007 Label: Columbia, Legacy (#82876 85088 2) Format: LP, CD	3	5

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released[24]

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

1. "Billie Holiday Long Play Discography". Billieholidaysongs.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012.
2. Billie Holiday. AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
3. Discogs, 'Recital' entry https://www.discogs.com/Billie-Holiday-Recital-By-Billie-Holiday/release/4196672
4. AllMusic, 'Recital' entry https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-recital-mw0000912340
5. Discogs, 'Solitude' entry https://www.discogs.com/Billie-Holiday-Solitude/release/4617997
6. AllMusic, 'Solitude' entry https://www.allmusic.com/album/solitude-verve-mw0000102964
7. Discogs. Retrieved 2014-10-08
8. "BILLIE HOLIDAY | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
9. Discogs. Retrieved 2014-10-08
10. Record notes, Billie Holiday: Ladylove (or Lady Love), United Artists Records, UAL 8073; notes by Leonard Feather and LeRoi Jones.
11. Billie Holiday – Ladylove, discogs.com. Accessed 29 December 2014
12. Lady Love, 1962.
13. Count Basie, At the Savoy Ballroom 1937. Discogs.com. Accessed April 6, 2016.
14. "ビリー・ホリデイ 奇妙な果実 | UCCU-5760 | 4988031178478". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved July 29, 2023.
15. "Billie Holiday | Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
16. "British album certifications – Billie Holiday – The Legend Of Billie Holiday". British Phonographic Industry.
17. "Billie Holiday | Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
18. "British album certifications – Billie Holiday – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry.
19. "101: Billie Holiday The Best Of - Billie Holiday | Release Credits | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
20. "101 - The Best of Billie Holiday - Compilation by Billie Holiday". Spotify. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
21. McDonald, Ian (5 March 1991). "boxet review". Q Magazine. 55: 91.
22. "100 Hits Legends: Billie Holiday | Releases | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
23. "Billie Holiday | Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Billboard.com.
24. "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:

1. Announcement, by Leonard Feather 0:26
2. "Blue Moon" 2:08
3. "All of Me" 1:38
4. "My Man" 2:45
5. "Them There Eyes" 1:30
6. "I Cried For You" 3:10
7. "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" 2:25
8. "I Cover The Waterfront" 3:10

Side B:

1. "Billie's Blues" 11:28
2. "Lover, Come Back to Me" 6:35

Personnel:

1. Bass – Red Mitchell (tracks: A2 to B2)
2. Clarinet – Buddy DeFranco (tracks: B1, B2)
3. Drums – Elaine Leighton (de) (1926–2012) (Beryl Booker's drummer) (tracks: A2 to B2)
4. Guitar – Jimmy Raney (tracks: B1, B2)
5. Liner Notes (Translation in French) – Leonard Feather
6. Photography – Buck Hoeffler (né Paul J. Hoeffler; 1937–2005)
7. Piano – Beryl Booker (tracks: B1, B2), Carl Drinkard (né Carlton Mark Drinkard; 1927–) (tracks: A2 to A8), Sonny Clark (tracks: B1, B2)
8. Vibraphone – Red Norvo (tracks: B1, B2)
9. 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).