Billie Holiday Jukebox Hits 1935-1946 CD

Documenting some of the most famous songs from the beginning of Billie Holiday's career until its peak in the mid-'40s (when her drug habit began to dangerously control her life), Jukebox Hits 1935-1946 contains 22 tracks, including "God Bless the Child," "Strange Fruit," "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," and "These Foolish Things" ("Fine and Mellow" is nowhere to be found, however). There's even Holiday's version of the Tin Pan Alley classic "Twenty-Four Hours a Day," one of her first recordings. Her voice is strong and distinct throughout, showing not only how much she brought to jazz and blues but also why she is considered one of the greatest American singers ever. By no means the best, or even one of the best, Holiday compilations out there, Jukebox Hits does provide a good, albeit limited, look at some of what Lady Day was doing for those 11 years. For a committed fan, however, it's better to look at a more focused and limited retrospective in order to truly understand her artistic development. ~ Marisa Brown

This series highlights the American Juke Box/Harlem Hit Parade/Race Record/Rhythm & Blues chart hits by a selection of the biggest stars of the 1940s and 1950s swing, jazz, jump blues and R&B scenes. Most of these performers have never had their biggest hits compiled in one place. Billie Holiday only had a handful of actual charted records when the Harlem Hit Parade was inaugurated but she had many pop chart entries as this collection amply illustrates. Like our other collections this features all the 78s that were money-spinners on jukeboxes across the world. Acrobat. 2005.

Personnel: Billie Holiday (vocals); Gene Krupa (drums).

Recording information: 1935-1946.