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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

September 8, 2020 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Crazy She Calls Me

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 9, 2020, is “Crazy She Calls Me.”

About This Song

“Crazy He Calls Me” (he is changed to she when sung by a man) was written in 1949 by Carl Sigman and Bob Russell. In addition to Billie Holiday’s recording of this song, it has also been recorded by Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington, and Aretha Franklin.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Crazy He Calls Me” in 1996 for his tribute album to Lady Day: Bennett On Holiday, released in 1997.

“Crazy She Calls Me,” as well as Bennett On Holiday, is available from Apple Music.

And here’s Billie Holiday singing today’s song.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Bob Russell, Carl Sigman, On Holiday, Tony Bennett

November 19, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 19, 2014 is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

This beautiful song features a wonderful lyric from Johnny Mercer and an equally wonderful tune from Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy. Munday was a tenor sax player and arranger who worked for Benny Goodman in the late 1930s before forming his own band in the early 1940s; he did free-lance arrangements for Goodman as well as other band leaders during that time. Trummy Young was a trombonist who played with Jimmy Lunceford in the late 1930s to the mid-1940s.

“Trav’lin’ Light” was written in 1942 and was first recorded by the Paul Whiteman band with Billie Holiday on vocals. It has also been recorded by Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, Shirley Horn and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” in 1996 for his album of Billie Holiday songs entitled On Holiday. I love this song more than I can possibly say and Bennett’s version is quite beautiful.

About Today

As part of Johnny Mercer Week at The Year of Tony Bennett, we continue with his biography …

As the son of a relatively well-to-do businessman, Johnny Mercer enjoyed growing up in Savannah. His father owned the first car in the town, and young Mercer certainly enjoyed his driving privileges. He attended prep school in Virginia. While he wasn’t a top student, his studies of literature helped to develop his song writing capabilities. He also helped organized the musical entertainment on the campus and began writing songs.

The Mercer family had a long association with Princeton University and it was always assumed that Johnny would enter Princeton upon graduation from prep school. However, his father’s business (and wealth) suffered severe setbacks from a failed real estate venture in Florida in 1927 and had to put his company into receivership in order to pay off a $1 million loss. Instead, young Mercer set his sights on New York.

… to be continued …

Trav"lin" Light

Listen to Trav"lin" Light on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1997.


“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as On Holiday, is available on iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Mundy, Johnny Mercer, Johnny Mercer Week, On Holiday, Trummy Young

November 10, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: What A Little Moonlight Can Do

The song of the day for Monday, November 10, 2014 is “What A Little Moonlight Can Do.”

About This Song

This charming song was written by Harry Woods in 1934 while he was living and working in temporarily in London for a British film studio as a composer. One of the songs he wrote was “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” for a movie called Road House. Billie Holiday, with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra, recorded the song in 1935.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” in 1996 for his album On Holiday, consisting of songs associated with Billie Holiday. It’s a terrific album and worth your time to explore, if you haven’t already.

What A Little Moonlight Can Do

Listen to What A Little Moonlight Can Do on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1997.


“What A Little Moonlight Can Do,” as well as On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Harry Woods, On Holiday

May 12, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: These Foolish Things

The song of the day for Monday, May 12, 2014 is “These Foolish Things.”

About This Song

“These Foolish Things: was composed by Jack Strachey, with lyrics by Eric Mashwitz (as Holt Marvell) for a revue named Spread It Abroad. Although written and first performed in 1936, “These Foolish Things” was not an immediate hit. In fact, Maschwitz’ agent refused to publish the song and so Maschwitz himself did. There were several fine recordings in the 1930s, including one by Billie Holiday with the Teddy Wilson Orchestra and Benny Goodman. In the 1950s, the song became even more popular, with recordings by Artie Shaw, Nat King Cole, Art Pepper and Johnny Hartman. ”These Foolish Things” ranks #28 on jazzstandards.org and is still widely played and recorded.

About This Version

Tony Bennett chose this song for his tribute album to Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett On Holiday, released in 1997. The strings were orchestrated by Jorge Calandrelli and features Ralph Sharon on piano. The album was produced by Tony Bennett and his son, Danny Bennett.

http://open.spotify.com/track/38J0EAfT8bR9U0XFrqp53f
“These Foolish Things,” as well as the album Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Eric Mashwitz, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey, On Holiday, Tony Bennett On Holiday

March 2, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Ill Wind (You’re Blowin’ Me No Good)

The song of the day for Sunday, March 2, 2014 is “Ill Wind (You’re Blowin’ Me No Good).”

About This Song

“Ill Wind was composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ted Koehler. This song was written for the 1934 Cotton Club Parade, their last show at the famed Cotton Club. The song was used in the 1984 movie The Cotton Club, where it was sung by Lonette McKee. Notable recordings of this song include today’s version by Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Maxine Sullivan, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ill Wind” for his 1997 album On Holiday, which features songs sung by the great Billie Holiday. The song was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli and features Ralph Sharon on piano.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6R5zx6937yNXi8jqasrT9D
“Ill Wind,” as well as the album On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Harold Arlen, On Holiday, Ted Koehler

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