Billie Holiday

The Hits Billie Holiday Deluxe edition

No one has ever sung or will ever sing like Billie Holiday (1915-1959). Although her vocal range was much more limited than those of other famous jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald (both of whom had an astonishing versatility from the low to the high registers), Billie made her interpretations so expressive that even the most trite lyrics sounded almost profound. This set consist of her 14 greatest hits, among them her two studio versions of the poignant protest song "Strange Fruit," her unforgettable reading of "All of Me" with Lester Young on tenor sax, and her best recordings of her own compositions "Fine and Mellow," "God Bless the Child," "Lady Sings the Blues" (with music by the great Herbie Nichols), and "Don't Explain."

BILLIE HOLIDAY, vocals on all tracks, with:

Collective personnel: Frankie Newton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Emmett Berry,

Doc Cheatham (tp), Vic Dickenson (tb), Tab Smith (as), Lester Young, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins (ts), Sonny White, Teddy Wilson, Wynton Kelly (p),

Barney Kessel (g), Red Mitchell (b), Lennie McBrowne, Jo Jones, Sidney Catlett (d).

Orchestras conducted by Toots Camarata, Bob Haggart

& Ray Ellis, among others.

Recorded in New York and Los Angeles between 1939 & 1958.