The Peggy Lee Bio-Discography's Picture Gallery:
Columbia Collaborations With Benny Goodman
by Iván Santiago-Mercado

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Scope And Contents

The albums displayed in this page contain vocals recorded by Peggy Lee while she was the female vocalist of The Benny Goodman Orchestra (1941-1943). The emphasis is on albums fully dedicated to Lee's "canary" work -- not on albums that mingle her vocals with the band's instrumentals, nor on "hybrid" issues which mix Lee's big band performances with her later numbers as a solo artist. Also, only studio recordings are covered herein. (For radio broadcasts featuring Goodman with Lee as his canary, consult this page instead.) A note at the bottom of this page should provide further clarification on this page's contents, along with an index all the album images included herein.

I. BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA WITH PEGGY LEE




Album Covers Shown:

1. Title: Benny Goodman And His Orchestra With Peggy Lee / Format: 78 album / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: A 70 (38280-38283) / Tracks: 8 / Volumes: 4 / Rel. Year: possibly 1947; see note at the end of this section / Note: Along with Rendezvous With Peggy Lee, this is one of the two earliest all-Lee albums ever issued. Please notice that this 78 album was released twice (images #1 & #2). Contrary to appearances, the image displayed as #1 is the oldest of the two front covers. (The picture has been somewhat polished, resulting in a reproduction that looks much fresher than #2.)

2. Title: Benny Goodman And His Orchestra And Sextet; Vocals By Peggy Lee / Format: 78 album / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: C 170 / Tracks: 8 / Volumes: 4 / Rel. Date: August 1948 / Note: This is an American reissue of item #1. One possible reason for the decision to do a reissue is the fact that the front cover of the original 78 album (#1) has a mistake: it incorrectly lists "Somebody Loves Me" (instead of "Somebody Nobody Loves") as one of its tracks. The error was corrected in the cover of this reissue.





Album Covers Shown:

3. Title: Benny Goodman And His Orchestra And Sextet; Vocals By Peggy Lee / Format: 10" LP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Cl 6033 / Tracks: 8 / Rel. Year: 1949 / Note: This is the 10" LP edition of item #2.

4. Title: Benny Goodman And His Orchestra And Sextet; Vocals By Peggy Lee / Format: double EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: B 406 / Tracks: 8 / Rel. Year: possibly 1949; see note at the end of this section / Note: This is the EP edition of item #2.





Album Cover Shown:

5. Title: Benny Goodman With Peggy Lee / Format: 10" LP / Label: Philips / Cat. Num.: (The Netherlands) B 07626 R / Tracks: 8 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: European edition of #3 above.











   6. Inside cover of the reissued 78 album (#2 above).


Other Versions Of Note, Not Shown Above:

6. Title: Benny Goodman With Peggy Lee / Format: 10" LP / Label: Philips / Cat. Num.: (Australia) B 07626 R / Tracks: 8 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: This LP's label, title, and tracks are the same ones as those of item #5 above, but the front cover is partially different. Whereas the two issues feature photos of Goodman and Lee, only the Goodman picture is identical in both cases. This Australian issue's picture of Lee shows her in a different dress, which covers her up to the neck. In other words, the makers of this Australian issue seem to have censored the Lee photo shown in #5 above, due to her décolletage.


General Note:
The release dates that I have provided for the various editions of this album are, for the most part, likely rather than definitive. The release year of the original 78 album (a70) is particularly hard to ascertain. A couple of sources date it 1947, but neither source is highly reliable. I have more trustworthy evidence in the case of reissue C-170. An advance notice, found in a magazine published during the first week of August 1948, proves that C-170 was released in the second half of 1948. (The fact that C-170 dates from 1948 gives plausibility, then, to the claim that a-70 was issued in 1947. Still, there is also the possibility that a-70 came out earlier in 1948, too.) As for the EP edition, the above-given release year was taken from a Goldmine discography. Since the same discography gives a 1949 date to the reissued 78 album (rather that 1948), I am not fully confident in the reliability of Goldmine's date for the EP. Finally, on the matter of the 10" LP edition, I have sources that give it a 1949 release year, and I also have sources that date it 1950.

II. BENNY GOODMAN PRESENTS PEGGY LEE




Album Cover Shown:

Title: Benny Goodman Presents Peggy Lee
Format: EP
Label: COLUMBIA
Cat. Num.: Co B 1636
Rel. Year: 1953
Tracks: 4

III. PEGGY LEE SINGS WITH BENNY GOODMAN





Album Covers Shown:

1. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: LP / Label: COLUMBIA's Harmony / Cat. Num.: Hl 7005 / Rel. Year: 1956 (according to some sources) or 1957 (according to other sources). The one piece of evidence at my reach, a trade ad, can be made to support either option. Published in the second half of 1957, the trade ad announces Harmony as a line that Columbia Records has just launched. Hence the ad's 1957 publication date could be deemed proof that Harmony 7005 (a very early number in the series) was released in 1957. But the ad does not necessarily rule out 1956 as the release date. Of particular interest is the fact that the ad lists a total of 67 titles in the Harmony series. Such a large quantity could be an indication that, despite the "just launched" propaganda, the series had been available for months. / Tracks: 10 / Note: Judging from the abundance of copies of this budget LP at used record stores, Columbia probably reprinted it very often over the years. Unfortunately, its sound quality is rather poor. It also suffers from a mastering error: the song "That Did It, Marie" misses Lee's first chorus. This error has been transmitted to all editions and reissues of the album.

2. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman ("Cameo" Series) / Format: LP / Label: CBS / Cat. Num.: (England) 32417 / Rel. Date: May 1984 / Tracks: 10 / Note: British reissue of item #1 above.

3. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: CD / Label: CBS or Sony / Cat. Num.: unknown; C_ 7005 and 6687787 are both possibilities / Tracks: 10 / Rel. Year: also unclear. / Note: After checking a variety of American-based websites, I have found a wide variety of release years for the CD edition of item #1. Among them: 1984, 1990, 1992, 1995 and 1997. Perhaps the variety of answers points to frequent reissues (or reprints) of the compact disc. As for the earliest possible release date, a review published in the winter 1988 edition of the magazine Show Music proves that the CD was available around that time. Whether that was its debut appearance or just a reprint is another mattter that remains unclear. Personally, my inclination is toward 1988 as the year of this CD's debut, but I do not have any hard evidence to back up my belief. There is actually a 1984 claim in a couple of sources, but I wonder if the claim is mistaken. (More specifically, I wonder if the year 1984 refers actually applied to LP and/or cassette edition to which the CD would have been wrongly tagged. While entertaining such a possible explanation, notice that item #2 was released in 1984.) On the other hand, were 1984 ever proven to be the correct debut year of this compact disc, then it would qualify as an inordinately early CD release -- Lee's earliest, indeed.)






Album Cover Shown:

4. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: cassette / Label: Columbia Special Products / Cat. Num.: At 13584 / Rel. Year: 1990 is the year most frequently given. / Tracks: 10 / Note: Reissue of item #1 above. .

5. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: 8-track cartridge / Label: Columbia Special Products / Cat. Num.: Ba 13584 / Rel. Year: unknown / Tracks: 10 / Note: Reissue of item #1 above.





Album Covers Shown:

6. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: cassette / Label: Columbia Special Products / Cat. Num.: Bt 13584 / Rel. Year: 1990 is the year most frequently given. / Tracks: 10 / Note: Reissue of item #1 above. Notice that, except for the prefix, this cassette bears the same catalogue number as items #4, #5, and #6.

7. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: CD / Label: Sony Music Special Products / Cat. Num.: A 13584 / Rel. Date: October 25, 1990 and June 15, 1992 are the most commonly found dates, but online sites also give 1984 and 1997 release years to this CD. My own copy bears a 1992 date. / Tracks: 10 / Note: Reissue of item #1 above. Notice that, except for the prefix, this cassette bears the same catalogue number as items #4, #5, #6, and #7.


Related Album Covers, Artwork Missing:

8. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman / Format: LP / Label: Columbia Special Products / Cat. Num.: P 13584 / Rel. Date: online, this LP is given a 1989 release year. Given such a date, this LP might have been marketed to a small audience which still cared to own a vinyl version of the material. / Tracks: 10 / Note: Reissue of item #1 above.

9. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman ("The Best Of Times" Series) / Formats: LP & CS / Label: CBS / Cat. Num.: Pck 7005 & Pct 7005 / Rel. Year: 1984 (according to some commercial sites) or 1988 (according to other commercial sites) / Tracks: 10 / Note: Reissue of item #1 above. The photo of Lee is the same as in that item, but the artwork differes. It shows a colorful jukebox against a light orange, pinkish background, with the Lee photo inside the jukebox. This is actually CBS' standard artwork for Best Of Times, the series to which the item under discussion belongs. (Another item from the series can be seen below, in section V, item #3.) Incidentally, I do own a copy of the cassette version of Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman ("The Best Of Times" Series), but I do not own a copy of the LP version, nor have I ever seen one. I would appreciate receiving confirmation of its existence.





Album Cover Shown:

10 & 11. Title: We'll Meet Again; Peggy Lee With The Benny Goodman Orchestra / Format: LP / Label: Hallmark / Cat. Num.: (England) Hm 503 & Shm 503 / Rel. Year: 1967 / Tracks: 10 / Note: British reissue of item #1 above, in mono and stereo formats. Hallmark would eventually become a Public Domain label, but at this point it was not: this is a licensed album. Released in mono (Hm prefix) and in electronically processed stereo (Shm prefix). Made available on CD during the 1990s; see item #11.

12. Title: Why Don't You Do Right;; Peggy Lee With The Benny Goodman Orchestra / Format: CD / Label: Hallmark - Carlton / Cat. Num.: (England) 309542 / Rel. Year: 1998 / Tracks: 10 / Note: CD reissue of items #9 & #10. Contains the same tracks but sports a different title and a different front cover.





Album Covers Shown:

13 & 14. Title: Why Don't You Do Right? / Format: CD / Label: Charly's Classic Jazz / Cat. Num.: (England) Cdcd 1216 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: Reissues, probably unauthorized, of #1 above. Since I do not own copies, my information about these two CD issues comes from internet sources, where the given details are confusing. It just seems that Charly Records released the album digitally twice, using the shown covers.

IV. PEGGY WITH BENNY & THE BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET WITH PEGGY LEE

General Note:
The two EPs listed in this section contain the same tracks and were released the same year. Since I do not know which one was the earliest, I have given priority to the release that places the spotlight more directly on Peggy Lee, even if it is of non-domestic origin.






Album Cover Shown:

1 & 2. Title: Peggy With Benny / Format: EP / Label: Philips / Cat. Num.: (England) Bbe 12172 / Rel. Year: 1958 / Tracks: 4 / Note: Two copies of the same issue are shown in the pictures above.






Album Covers Shown:

3. Title: The Benny Goodman Sextet With Peggy Lee ("Hall of Fame" Series) / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: B 2556 / Rel. Year: 1958 / Tracks: 4

V. MISS PEGGY LEE




Album Covers Shown:

1 & 2. Title: Miss Peggy Lee / Format: LP / Label: Harmony / Cat. Num.: H 30024 / Rel. Year: 1970 / Tracks: 9 / Note: This LP was apparently issued in two different-colored covers. I am familiar with the pink cover, whose details I am providing here. I have seen the green cover only on the net, with no details given about it. Miss Peggy Lee shares six of its tracks with the earlier ten-track Harmony LP Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman (section III above).




Album Cover Shown:

3. Title: Miss Peggy Lee ("The Best Of Times" Series) / Format: cassette / Label: CBS / Cat. Num.: Pct 30034 / Rel. Year: 1988 / Tracks: 9 / Note: Reissue of items #1 & #2.

VI. ELMER'S TUNE





Album Cover Shown:

1 & 2. Title: Elmer's Tune / Format: LP / Label: CBS Sony / Cat. Num.: (Japan) Sopj 22-23 / Rel. Year: 1972 / Volumes: 2 / Tracks: 32 / Note: Double LP set with gatefold cover and booklet. Includes all but one of the numbers that Peggy Lee recorded as a canary with The Benny Goodman Orchestra. The master takes are the ones included for the most part, although there are a few songs for which an alternate take was used. The artwork that graces this cover had originally appeared in the 78 album Benny Goodman And His Orchestra And Sextet; Vocals By Peggy Lee, whose picture is displayed above, in section I.

VII. A PORTRAIT OF PEGGY LEE, 1941-1942




Album Cover Shown:

1. Title: A Portrait Of Peggy Lee, 1941-1942 ("CBS Favourite Jazz 100" Series) / Format: LP / Label: CBS Sony Cat. Num.: (Japan) 20Ap1486 / Rel. Year: 1979 / Tracks: 16

2. Title: A Portrait Of Peggy Lee, 1941-1942 ("Enchantment Of Jazz Vocal" Series) / Format: CD / Label: CBS Sony Cat. Num.: (Japan) 32Dp563 / Rel. Year: 1986 / Tracks: 16 / Note: A digital reissue of item #1.










Album Cover Shown:

3. Title: A Portrait Of Peggy Lee, 1941-1942 / Format: CD / Label: CBS Sony / Cat. Num.: (Japan) Sip 124 / Rel. Year: 2002 / Tracks: 24 / Note: Expanded reissue of items #1 and #2.

VIII. BENNY GOODMAN, FEATURING PEGGY LEE




Album Cover Shown:

1. Title: Benny Goodman Featuring Peggy Lee ("Best Of Big Bands" Series) / Format: CD / Label: COLUMBIA's Legacy / Cat. Num.: Ck 53422 / Rel. Year: 1993 / Tracks: 16 / Note: Contains the first 16 numbers that Peggy Lee recorded with Benny Goodman.

IX. WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT; A JAZZ HOUR WITH BENNY GOODMAN & PEGGY LEE




Album Cover Shown:

1. Title: Why Don't You Do Right ("A Jazz Hour With" Series) / Format: CD / Label: Movieplay-Intermusic's A Jazz Hour / Cat. Num.: (Portugal) Jhr 73607 / Rel. Year: 2001 / Tracks: 22 / Note: This is a Public Domain compilation.

X. THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, 1941-1947; PEGGY LEE & BENNY GOODMAN




Album Cover Shown:

1. Title: The Complete Recordings, 1941-1947; Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman / Format: CD / Label: COLUMBIA's Legacy / Cat. Num.: C2k 65686 / Rel. Year: 1999 / Volumes: 2 / Tracks: 38 / Note: This recommended 2CD set is the only official issue that includes Peggy Lee's entire studio recordings with Goodman on Columbia/Okeh and Capitol. (The one exception is "Eight, Nine And Ten," a performance recorded for Capitol Records on March 28, 1947 and never released or well-documented until the 1990s. It is missing from this 1999 issue.) The set was mastered directly from the original acetates or -- in cases when acetates had deteriorated -- from the earliest transfers. Various alternate takes are included as bonus tracks.





Album Cover Shown:

2. Title: Where Or When / Format: CD / Label: Acrobat / Cat. Num.: (England) Addcd 3047 / Rel. Year: 2008 / Volumes: 2 / Tracks: 38 / Note: The makers of this Public Domain CD set showed no compunction in grabbing the entire contents of the above-shown Columbia Legacy CD set (alternate takes included) and in passing it as their own work.











   3. Photo that served as the basis for the cover of the official CD.

XI. PEGGY LEE SINGS WITH BENNY GOODMAN (WWW COLLECTORS JAZZ EDITION BIZ)




Album Cover Shown:

1. Title: Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman ("WWW Collectors Edition Biz") / Format: CD / Label: Weton-Wesgram, Flex Media / Cat. Num.: (Germany) Iece 1639 / Rel. Year: 2005 / Tracks: 19 / Note: This is a Public Domain compilation.

XII. THE BEST OF PEGGY LEE & BENNY GOODMAN ("JAZZ FOREVER" SERIES)




Album Cover Shown:

1. Title: The Best Of Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman ("Jazz Forever" Series) / Format: CD / Label: Jazz Forever / Cat. Num.: Bd 67062 / Rel. Year: 2005 / Tracks: 18 / Note: This is a Public Domain compilation.

XIII. MISCELLANEOUS BENNY GOODMAN ISSUES, PART I: (MOSTLY) COLUMBIA ANTHOLOGIES

In this section, I am chronologically listing official Benny Goodman albums which combine vocals by Peggy Lee with instrumentals from the band. The focus is on issues released or licensed by Columbia itself, although I have made excetions for a few latter-day anthologies of potential interest (dated 1997 and 1998). For the first three decades covered (the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s) my aim has been completeness: I have tried to list every qualifying album that was isued within that period. From later decades, I have decided to display just a few covers of interest. (My decision to be selective was triggered by the sheer volume of post-1970 albums at hand, and by the very miscellaneous nature of the sub-set of entries presently under discussion. Starting with the 1970s, there was a significant proliferation of Goodman compilations, many of which contain just the odd Peggy Lee vocal. Furthermore, that decade ushered the steady appearance of numerous Goodman releases from various licensees (most frequently, Time-Life Music, which tended to issue multiple-LP boxes) as well as Goodman items from bootleg and Public Domain companies. Please notice that my selective approach to post-1970 albums applies to this page only. Elsewhere in this discography (i.e., in the main, sessionographical page dedicated to Goodman's sessions, and in the miscellaneous pages for compilations and foreign issues) I have listed every pertinent Goodman issue that is known to me.


1947

1. Title: Benny's Best / Format: 78 album / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: C 122 (#37243-#37246) / Volumes: 4 / Rel. Year: 1947 / Tracks: 8 / Note: Half of this album's tracks feature Peggy Lee ("Why Don't You Do Right?," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," "That Did It, Marie," and "On The Sunny Side Of The Street"), whereas the other half consists of Goodman instrumentals. I do not have an image for this album's cover, nor have I ever seen the album itself. So far, my efforts at finding a picture have not succeeded. Help would thus be appreciated.


1948




Album Covers Shown:

2, 3 & 4. Title: Benny Goodman, Volume 1 ("Dance Parade" Series) / Format: 10" LP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Cl 6048 / Rel. Year: dated 1948 in some sources, 1949 in other sources. I do not know which of those two dates is correct. (Perhaps one year applies to the original issue and the other to a reissue?) / Note: The issues in the "Dance Parade" series share similar artwork but distinguish themselves from one another by the choice of a different solid color for each front cover (e.g., yellow for the series' Gene Krupa issue, green for the Kay Kyser issue, blue for both Count Basie's and Harry James' lps, etc.). As can be seen above, the first of the series' Benny Goodman volumes was released more than once -- a likely indication of healthy sales and popularity. Two of the tracks, "Why Don't You Do Right?" and "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," feature Peggy Lee.

5. Title: Benny Goodman, Volume 2 ("Dance Parade" Series) / Format: 10" LP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Cl 6100 / Rel. Year: 1950 / Note: This second Goodman volume in the "Dance Parade" series contains just one Peggy Lee vocal, "How Long Has This Been Going On?"


1953




Album Covers Shown:

6. Title: Benny Goodman Presents Arrangements By Eddie Sauter / Format: gatefold EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: B 356 [#7-1500, #7-1501, #7-1502] / Volumes: 3 / Rel. Year: 1953

7. Title: Benny Goodman Presents Arrangements By Eddie Sauter / Format: LP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Gl 523; also Cl 523 / Rel. Year: 1953 / Note: This album was issued as Gl 523 first, and as Cl 523 a few months later. On a related note, some sources give a 1955 date to what definitely is a 1953 release. The likeliest explanation for this discrepancy is that those sources might be referring to the British edition of the album, which seems to have been issued in 1955.

8. Title: Arrangements By Fletcher Henderson & Eddie Sauter / Format: CD / Label: Collectables / Cat. Num.: Col 6487 / Rel. Year: 2000 / Note: Item #7 had a companion piece, Benny Goodman Presents Eddie Sauter Arrangements, which was also released in 1953. Image #8 shows a 2000 twofer CD, from the licensee label Collectables, which contain both pieces. The Henderson album does not feature Peggy Lee.

9. Title: Benny Goodman Presents Arrangements by Eddie Sauter / Format: LP / Label: CBS' Columbia Special Products / Cat. Num.: Jgl 523 / Rel. Year: 1975 / Note: Domestic reissue of item #7.

10. Title: Benny Goodman Presents Eddie Sauter Arrangements ("Big Band Landmark" Series) / Format: LP / Label: COLUMBIA's Philips / Cat. Num.: (England) Phil 7043 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: British reissue of item #7.

General Note
At the time of the original release (1953), the two Peggy Lee tracks in the album Benny Goodman Presents Eddie Sauter Arrangements ("That's The Way It Goes," "Not A Care In The World"") were thoroughly new offerings: they had not been previously out on 78, 45, or in any other configuration. (The same applied to five of the album's non-Lee tracks; they too were making their premiere.)


1955 - 1965




Album Covers Shown:

11. Title: Benny Goodman ("Hall of Fame" Series) / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: B 2587 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: This Benny Goodman EP includes just one Peggy Lee vocal, an alternate take of "Why Don't You Do Right?"

12. Title: The King / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA's Coronet / Cat. Num.: (Australia) Ks 057 / Rel Year: unknown, though definitely after 1954, and probably no later than 1965 / Note: This Benny Goodman EP includes just one Peggy Lee vocal, "Elmer's Tune."

Related EP Covers, For Which I Lack Images:

13. Title: Benny Goodman Plays / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: (England) Seg 7556 / Rel. Year: 1955 / Note: "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is the only Peggy Lee vocal in this issue.

14. Title: unknown / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: 1 642 / Rel. year: unknown / Note: There is just one Peggy Lee vocal, "Blues In The Night," in this Goodman EP.

15. Title: unknown / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: 3 38821 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: There should be two Peggy Lee vocals, "Blues In The Night" and "Where Or When," in this Goodman EP ... if it truly exists. The available details about this issue are sketchy and confusing. One of my sources even identifies it not as an EP but as a 7" LP. It seems to consist of six tracks, the other four being Benny Goodman instrumentals. Notice that 38821 is also supposed to be the catalogue number of a 1949 single which contains "Blues In The Night" and the Goodman instrumental "Bewitched." Most probably, one of those two (either the single or the EP) does not really exist.

16. Title: unknown / Format: EP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Co B 406 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: "Blues In The Night" is the one Peggy Lee vocal supposedly included in what is another confusing, probably wrong entry. B 406 is also the catalogue number of the late 1940s EP Benny Goodman And His Orchestra And Sextet; Vocals By Peggy Lee, which does not contain "Blues In The Night." Since it is unlikely that Columbia would have assigned the same catalogue number to two different EPs, chances are that my source for this entry has erred.


1968




Album Cover Shown:

17. Title: Clarinet Ala King ("Encore" Series) / Format: LP Label: COLUMBIA's Epic / Cat. Num.: Ee 22025 / Rel. Year: 1968 / Note: At the time of its release, this was a worthwhile issue for Peggy Lee fans. It included five Lee vocals, of which only one had ever been on LP before. The Lee-sung titles are "Let's Do It," "I Got It Bad," "How Deep Is The Ocean," "Shady Lady Bird" and "Ev'ything I Love."

Related Album Cover, Not Shown Above:

18. Title: Clarinet Ala King / Format: LP / Label: COLUMBIA Special Products / Cat. Num.: P 18711 / Rel. Year: unknown, probably 1970s or 1980s / Note: Reissue of #17. Uses the same front cover.


1975




Album Covers Shown:

19. Title: Solid Gold Instrumental Hits / Format: LP / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Pg 33405 / Rel. Year: 1975

20. Title: Solid Gold Instrumental Hits / Format: CD / Label: Collectables / Cat. Num.: Col Cd 7859 [also Sony A 702918] / Rel. Year: 2007 / Note: Licensed reissue of #19 above.

General Note
A double album that otherwise contains no vocals, Solid Gold Instrumental Hits curiously includes Peggy Lee's vocal of "My Little Cousin." A plausible rationale for the incorporation of "My Little Cousin" to an album of instrumentals is that its melody is so undeniably catchy. (That melody originally belonged to a Yiddish tune.)


1981




Album Covers Shown:

21. Title: The Legendary Benny Goodman / Format: LP / Label: Columbia House / Cat. Num.: Co alb P5 15536 / Rel. Year: 1981 / Volumes: 5 / Note: This 5LP set contains 4 Goodman recordings that feature vocals by Peggy Lee. They are "Winter Weather," "There Won't Be A Shortage Of Love," "You're Easy To Dance With" and "Let's Do It."


1987 - 1989




Album Covers Shown:

22. Title: Clarinet Ala King ("Benny Goodman" Sub-Series, Volume II; "Jazz Masterpieces" Series, ) / Format: CS & LP & CD / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Cs 40834 & Cj 40834 & Ck 40834 / Rel. Year: 1987 [CD probably released later] / Note: contains one Peggy Lee vocal, an alternate take of "How Deep Is The Ocean."

23. Title: All The Cats Join In ("Benny Goodman" Sub-Series, Volume III; "Jazz Masterpieces" Series, ) / Format: CS & LP & CD / Label: CBS / Cat. Num.: Cs 44158 & Cj 44158 & Ck 44158 / Rel. Year: 1988 [CD probably released later] / Note: contains three Peggy Lee vocals ("Not Mine," "You're Easy To Dance With," and "Why Don't You Do Right?"), some of them never before on CD or on domestic LP.

24. Title: Small Groups, 1941-1945 / Format: CS & LP & CD / Label: CBS Cat. Num.: Cjt 44437 & Cj 44437 & Ck 44437 / Rel. Year: 1989 [CD released in 1991] / Note: contains all the vocals that Peggy Lee recorded with Goodman's sextet ("Blues In The Night," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," "Where Or When," and "The Way You Look Tonight").


1990 - 1995




Album Covers Shown:

25. Title: Benny Goodman ("Best Of Big Bands" Series) / Format: CS & LP & CD / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Cs 45338 & Cj 45338 & Ck 45338 / Rel. Year: 1990 / Note: contains three Peggy Lee vocals, "Elmer's Tune," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," and "Why Don't You Do Right?"

26. Title: Benny Goodman ("16 Most Requested Songs" Series) / Format: CS & CD / Label: COLUMBIA / Cat. Num.: Ct 53774 & Ck 53774 / Rel. Year: 1993 / Note: contains one Peggy Lee vocal, "Why Don't You Do Right?".

27. Title: Benny Goodman And His Great Vocalists ("Best Of The Big Bands" Series) / Format: CS & CD / Label: COLUMBIA's Legacy / Cat. Num.: Cs 66198 & Ck 66198 / Rel. Year: 1995 / Note: contains two Peggy Lee vocals, "I Got It Bad" and "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place."


1993 - 1998




Album Covers Shown:

28. Title: The Complete Capitol Small Group Recordings Of Benny Goodman, 1944-1955 / Format: LP & CD / Label: Mosaic / Cat. Num.: Mq6 148 & Md4 148 / Rel. Year: 1993 / Volumes: 4 / Note: contains two rare Peggy Lee vocals. "Keep Me In Mind" had previously appeared only in a special, non-official LP prepared for Benny Goodman collectors. "Eight, Nine And Ten" had not been issued before, in any shape or form.

29. Title: Rarities, 1940-1942 / Format: CD / Label: Sony Special Products / Cat. Num.: 28427 / Rel. Year: 1997 / Note: contains two numbers that feature Peggy Lee, "If You Build A Better Mousetrap" and "When The Roses Bloom Again."

30. Title: Rarities, 1940-1942 / Format: CD / Label: Collectables / Cat. Num.: Col 9558 / Rel. Year: 2004 / Note: licensed reissue of #29 above.




31. Title: Benny Goodman ("V Disc" Series) / Format: CD / Label: Collectors' Choice / Cat. Num.: 3592 / Rel. Year: 1998 / Volumes: 4 / Note: This issue contains Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman's "Why Don't You Do Right?" in its v-disc version. That version is not the master take commonly found most everywhere but an alternate take which has been released in a few LPs, but never on domestic CD. While that fact might make it a desirable item to some fans, an assessment of this v-disc CD series' sound quality could dissuade demanding listeners: the sound is atrocious. (This assessment is based, however, on word of mouth and on the two other volumes from the series which I own. I have not listened to a physical copy of the Benny Goodman item; online samples suggest that the sound of its "Why Don't You Right>" is actually fine.)

32. Title: Benny Goodman Plays Mel Powell / Format: CD / Label: Hep / Cat. Num.: (England) Hprc 1055 / Rel. Year: 1997 / Note: This Public Domain anthology from the noteworthy collectors' label Hep also seems to contain the alternate, v-disc take of "Why Don't You Do Right?" (I do not own a copy, but I have listened to online samples.)

XIV. MISCELLANEOUS BENNY GOODMAN ISSUES, PART II: NON-COLUMBIA SERIES

Shown herein are various series which were dedicated to releasing either the complete recordings of Benny Goodman or alternate takes and rarities from his catalogue. Since the artwork is identical or very similar in each of these series, and since this material falls under the category of miscellanea, I have generally chosen to display just one sample cover per series.

LIFE-TIME MUSIC: GIANTS OF JAZZ AND BIG BAND SERIES




General Note:
Tracks by Peggy Lee with or without Benny Goodman have appeared in many Time-Life Music releases, but, when it comes to all-Benny Time-Life issues, these two are the only ones which I know to include her canary vocals. (However, and given Time-Life's prolific mail order catalogue, there could be others of which I have yet to become aware.)

Album Covers Shown:

1. Title: Benny Goodman ("Giants of Jazz" Series, Volume 5) / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: Stl j05 P3 14790 / Rel. Year: 1979 / Volumes: 5 / Note: Includes "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" and "Why Don't You Do Right?"

2 & 3. Title: King Of Swing ("Big Bands" Series) / Format: LP & CD / Cat. Num.: Stbb 23 [ also R960 19] & Tcd 0017 [ also R960 17] / Rel. Year: 1986 [CD released in 1993] / Note: The second image shows the LP boxed set, the third the CD. Both editions contain the Lee vocals "Elmer's Tune," "Not Mine," and "Why Don't You Do Right?"


BLU-DISC BY THE MERITT RECORD SOCIETY: THE UNHEARD BENNY GOODMAN




General Note:
Blu-Disc was a small operation that concentrated on the release of alternate and previously unissued takes from Goodman's catalogue. Company details, as found in the back covers of the LPs, are vague, and suggestive of concerns about the legality of releasing the material in the United States: "Blu-Disc Records are produced by The Meritt Record Society for enjoyment of its members. Blue-Disc Records are not sold in stores in the United States. Import. This record has been pressed outside of the United States." Below are the issues in which Peggy Lee's vocals are included. I do not know if the covers of the two earliest volumes featured any artwork; the few copies which I have seen at used record stores were inside plain white jackets, just as the one shown in images #4 and #5.

Album Covers Shown:

4. Title: The Small Groups, Volume 1 / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: T 1002 / Rel. Year: 1981 / Note: Includes alternate takes of "Where Or When" and "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." As can be seen above, the front covers of this entry and the next one (#5) were plain and empty, except for a few printed words. Also shown in image #4 is the typographed sheet of paper that could be found, along with the LPs themselves, inside the cardboard covers of some Blu-Disc albums. (Those sheets contain discographical information about the tracks. Other Blu-Disc albums skip this sheet and include the discographical information in the back covers, instead.)

5. Title: The Big Band; The Small Groups, Volume 2 / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: T 1004 / Rel. Year: 1981 / / Note: Includes alternate takes of "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" and "There Won't Be a Shortage Of Love."

6. Title: Volume 7; 1941-1942 / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: T 1014 / Rel. Year: 1985 / Note: Includes alternate takes of "Why Don't You Do Right?," "My Old Flame," "You're Easy To Dance With," and "How Deep Is The Ocean?".

7. Title: Volume 8; 1936-1955 / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: T 1015 / Rel. Year: 1986 / Note: Includes alternate takes of "Why Don't you Do Right?" and "How Deep Is The Ocean."


Related Cover (Currently Missing):

8. Title: Volume 9; 1947-1955 / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: T 1016 / Rel. Year: 1986 / Note: Includes an alternate take of "Keep Me in Mind."


PHONTASTIC NOSTALGIA [PART I]: THE ALTERNATE GOODMAN




General Note
A large portion of the output from the Swedish label Nostalgia was dedicated to Benny Goodman's catalogue, and more specifically to alternate takes and other rarities. Here are the Alternate Goodman albums in which Lee's vocals are featured. [Incidentally, I have two other Benny Goodman Phontastic LPs listed in this discography's sessionography, neither one belonging to this series. One is entitled Collectors' Gems, 1929-1945. I do not know the title of the other one, whose catalogue number is Nost 1004.]

Album Covers Shown:

9. Title: Volume V; The Earl / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Nost 7616 / Rel. Year: 1980 / Note: The Peggy Lee vocals found in this issue are "Elmer's Tune," "My Old Flame," and "How Deep Is The Ocean."

10. Title: Volume VI; Clarinet Ala King / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Nost 7617 / Rel. Year: 1980 / Note: The Peggy Lee vocals found in this issue are "That's The Way It Goes," "Shady Lady Bird," "Let's Do It," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," "Somebody Nobody Loves," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," "That Did It, Marie" (both an alternate and a breakdown), and "Winter Weather."

11. Title: Volume VII; Royal Flush / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Nost 7620 / Rel. Year: 1982 / Note: The Peggy Lee vocals found in this issue are "Ev'rything I Love," "Not Mine," "Not A Care In The World," "Where Or When," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," and "My Little Cousin."

12. Title: Volume VIII; St. Louis Blues / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Nost 7644 / Rel. Year: 1983 / Note: The Peggy Lee vocals found in this issue are "I Threw A Kiss In The Ocean," "We'll Meet Again," "Full Moon," "There Won't Be A Shortage Of Love," "All I Need Is You ," All I Need Is You" (second of two alternate takes), and "You're Easy To Dance With."

13. Title: Volume IX; After You've Gone / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Nost 7648 / Rel. Year: 1983 / Note: The only Peggy Lee vocal found in this issue is "Let's Say A Prayer."


PHONTASTIC NOSTALGIA [PART II]: THE DIFFERENT VERSION


General Note:
Essentially, this is Nostalgia's CD counterpart to its aforementioned LP series, though updated with some modifications and additions.

Album Covers Shown:

14. Shown herein are the 5 issues in this Phontastic Nostalgia series. Each one is a 2CD set, and each one is subtitled "40 Alternate Takes of Recordings." Only three of the issues include Peggy Lee vocals.

15. Title: Volume II, 1 & 2 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Phon Ncd 8822 / Rel. Year: 1994 [re-pressed 1999?] / Volumes: 2 / Note: Contains alternate takes of "Elmer's Tune," "My Old Flame," and "How Deep Is The Ocean?".

16. Title: Volume III, 1 & 2 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Phon Ncd 8823 / Rel. Year: 1994 [re-pressed 1999?] / Volumes: 2 / Note: Contains a veritable bonanza of alternate takes, featuring Peggy Lee. Specifically, 17 of the 40 tracks: "That's The Way It Goes," "Shady Lady Bird," "Let's Do It," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," "Somebody Nobody Loves," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," "That Did It, Marie," "Winter Weather," "Ev'rything I Love," "Not Mine," "Not A Care In The World," "Where Or When," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," "My Little Cousin," "I Threw A Kiss In The Ocean," "We'll Meet Again," and "Full Moon."

17. Title: Volume IV, 1 & 2 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Phon Ncd 8824 / Rel. Year: 1994 [re-pressed 1999?] / Volumes: 2 / Note: Contains alternate takes of "There Won't Be A Shortage Of Love," "You're Easy To Dance With," "All I Need Is You" (two alternate takes), "Why Don't You Do Right?," and "Let's Say A Prayer."


PHONTASTIC NOSTALGIA [PART III]: THE PERMANENT GOODMAN




Album Covers Shown:

18. Title: A Portrait In Music Of The King of Swing, 1926-1945 / Format: LP / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Nost 7659-61 / Rel. Year: 1986 / Volumes: 3 / Note: This is a 3LP boxed set. The featured Lee vocals are "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," "Not A Care In The World," and "Why Don't You Do Right?"

19. Title: A Portrait In Music Of The King of Swing; Volume 2, 1939-1945 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (Sweden) Phon Ncd 7660 / Rel. Year: 1997 / Note: I believe that the two CD volumes in this series cover the contents of the earlier LP box (item #17), with some additions and perhaps a few exclusions. I do not own this item. Online data from music stores list the included Lee vocals as "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" and "Why Don't You Do Right?" ("Not A Care In The World" is not listed.) As for volume 1, numbered 7659 and released one year earlier, does not seem to feature Lee.





JAZUM: BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

Album Covers Shown:

20. Title: Benny Goodman And His Orchestra / Format: LP / Label: Jazum / Cat. Num.: Jaz 68 / Rel Year: unknown / Note: Contains the studio recording of "My Little Cousin." The words "York Records," seen at the top of the image, are not part of the physical LP, but an identification from the record store that sold this particular album copy.

Related Issue, Not Shown Above:

21. Title: unknown; possibly Benny Goodman And His Orchestra / Format: LP / Label: Jazum / Cat. Num.: Jaz 67 / Rel. Year: unknown / Note: Contains 8 studio recordings in which Peggy Lee is featured: "If You Build A Better Mousetrap," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," "Somebody Nobody Loves," "Winter Weather ," "Blues In The Night," "Where Or When," "Not Mine," and "The Lamp Of Memory."


FRENCH CLASSICS: THE CHRONO[LO]GICAL




General note
From this extensive CD series, I have listed below all the volumes which feature Peggy Lee. (Incidentally, Lee also appears in two other "Chrono[lo]gical" series: Barney Bigard's and Red Norvo's. Both series include two tracks which feature Lee.)

Album Covers Shown:

22. Title: 1941, Volume 3 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1271 / Rel. Year: 2002 / Note: Includes the Peggy vocals "Elmer's Tune," "My Old Flame," "I See A Million People," "How Deep Is The Ocean?," "That's The Way It Goes," "Let's Do It," "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good," "My Old Flame," "How Deep Is The Ocean?" (one of two alternate takes of this song included in this CD), and "Shady Lady Bird," for a total of 10 tracks.

23. Title: 1941-1942 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1303 / Rel. Year: 2003 / Note: Includes the Peggy vocals "Shady Lady Bird," "Let's Do It," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place," "Somebody Nobody Loves," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," "That Did It, Marie," "Winter Weather," "Ev'rything I Love," "Not Mine," "Not A Care In The World ," "Blues In The Night," "Where Or When," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," and "The Lamp Of Memory," for a total of 14 tracks.

24. Title: 1942 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1324 / Rel. Year: 2003 / Note: Includes the Peggy vocals "If You Build A Better Mousetrap," "When The Roses Bloom Again," "My Little Cousin," "The Way You Look Tonight," "I Threw A Kiss In The Ocean," "We'll Meet Again," "Full Moon," "There Won't Be A Shortage Of Love," "You're Easy To Dance With," and "All I Need Is You," for a total of 10 tracks.

25. Title: 1942-1944 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1335 / Rel. Year: 2004 / Note: Includes the Peggy vocals "Why Don't You Do Right?," "Let's Say A Prayer," and "All I Need Is You."

26. Title: 1946-1947 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1385 / Rel. Year: 2005 / Note: Includes one Peggy vocal, "Eight, Nine And Ten."

27. Title: 1947, Volume 2 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1407 / Rel. Year: 2005 / Note: Includes one vocal featuring Peggy Lee, "The Freedom Train."

28. Title: 1947-1948 / Format: CD / Cat. Num.: (France) 1418 / Rel. Year: 2006 / Note: Includes the Peggy vocals "Keep Me In Mind" and "For Every Man There Is A Woman."

Index

The following alphabetical list includes every album whose image is displayed in this page. To find a given album's location herein, use as your guideline the Roman numeral that follows each title.

All The Cats Join In ("Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" Series; Benny Goodman, Volume III): XIII
Alternate Goodman, The: XIV
Arrangements By Fletcher Henderson & Eddie Sauter: XII
Benny Goodman ("16 Most Requested Songs" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman ("Best Of Big Bands" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman ("Giants of Jazz" Series, Volume 5): XIV
Benny Goodman ("Hall of Fame" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman ("V Disc" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman And His Great Vocalists ("Best Of The Big Bands" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman And His Orchestra (Jazum): XIV
Benny Goodman And His Orchestra And Sextet; Vocals By Peggy Lee: I
Benny Goodman And His Orchestra With Peggy Lee: I
Benny Goodman Featuring Peggy Lee ("Best Of Big Bands" Series): VIII
Benny Goodman Plays: XII
Benny Goodman Presents Arrangements By Eddie Sauter: XIII
Benny Goodman Presents Peggy Lee : II
Benny Goodman Sextet With Peggy Lee, The ("Hall of Fame" Series): IV
Benny Goodman, Volume 1 ("Dance Parade" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman, Volume 2 ("Dance Parade" Series): XIII
Benny Goodman With Peggy Lee [Philips]: I
Benny's Best: XIII
Best Of Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman, The ("Jazz Forever" Series): XII
Chronogical [sic], The: XIV
Clarinet Ala King ("Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" Series; Benny Goodman, Volume II): XIII
Clarinet Ala King ("Encore" Series): XIII
Complete Capitol Small Group Recordings Of Benny Goodman, 1944-1955, The: XIIi
Complete Recordings, 1941-1947, The; Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman: X
Different Version, The: XIV
Elmer's Tune: VI
King Of Swing ("Big Bands" Series): XIV
Miss Peggy Lee: V
Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman; The Complete Recordings, 1941-1947: IX
Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman [Sony Columbia Special Products]: III
Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman [Harmony]: III
Peggy Lee Sings With Benny Goodman ("WWW Collectors Edition Biz"): XI
Peggy With Benny [Philips]: IV
Permanent Goodman, The: XIV
Portrait Of Peggy Lee 1941-1942, A ("Enchantment Of Jazz Vocal" Series): VII
Rarities, 1940-1942: XIII
Small Groups, 1941-1945 ("Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" Series; Benny Goodman): XIII
Solid Gold Instrumental Hits: XIII
Unheard Benny Goodman, The: XIV
We'll Meet Again; Peggy Lee With The Benny Goodman Orchestra: III
Where Or When: X
Why Don't You Do Right ("A Jazz Hour With" Series): IX
Why Don't You Do Right? [Charly Records]: III
Why Don't You Do Right [Hallmark Records]: III


Cross-references: Further Information

For more detailed information about any particular album (e.g., its track listing), you may use the album's release year to locate it in this discography's chronological LP Index (or, if it is a compact disc, in the CD Index).


Scope And Completeness

The albums herein displayed contain vocals recorded by Peggy Lee during her days as a big band singer with The Benny Goodman Orchestra (1941-1943).

The emphasis is on issues fully dedicated to Lee's "canary" work -- not on albums that mingle her vocals with the band's instrumentals, nor on "hybrid" issues which mix Lee's big band performances with her output as a solo artist. However, a select few vocal/instrumental hybrids can still be found above, in a couple of miscellaneous sections (XIII and XIV). My reason for including that handful of hybrids herein is that they are of potential interest to the dedicated fan of Lee's canary work: some are among the earliest Columbia albums in which one of her vocals appeared, others were issued as part of critically approved Columbia/CBS/Sony series, and still others include either alternate takes or chronologically organized masters. (Please notice that all the excluded vocal/instrumental "hybrids" are accounted for elsewhere in this Peggy Lee bio-discography -- specifically, in the Goodman Years page of the sessionography and also in the miscellaneous pages dedicated to British and Foreign issues.)

It should further be noted that this page concerns itself only with albums of studio material. If you are searching instead for issues which contain radio and television performances by Goodman's canary, consults the separate pages for such media material -- especially, the Goodman radio page.

One final matter worthy of attention is this page's policies regarding Public Domain CDs. Most of Lee's PD CDs contain a motley mixture of canary vocals, solo studio recordings, and radio performances. As already mentioned, such hybrids have not been included herein, where I require qualifying issues to have a non-hybrid track listing. My other qualification for inclusion in this page is whether the cover of the Public Domain CD credits both Goodman and Lee. If credit is given only to Lee although the entire track listing consists of performances with Benny Goodman, the CD's image won't be displayed here. It will instead be found in the pages dedicated to Public Domain releases, which are currently under construction.

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