Oh, Lady Be Good!
Original show tune by George & Ira Gershwin; from the 1924 musical "Lady, Be Good!"
"Oh, Lady Be Good!" is a 1924 song by George and Ira Gershwin.[1] It was introduced by Walter Catlett in the Broadway musical Lady, Be Good! written by Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson, and the Gershwin brothers and starring Fred and Adele Astaire. The song was also performed by the chorus in the film Lady Be Good (1941), although the film is unrelated to the musical.
Recordings in 1925 were by Paul Whiteman, Carl Fenton, and Cliff Edwards.[2] A 1947 recording of the song became a hit for Ella Fitzgerald, notable for her scat solo. For her album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959), it was sung as a ballad arranged by Nelson Riddle.
Recorded versions
- Carl Fenton and His Orchestra – recorded on December 11, 1924 (Brunswick)[3]
- Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra – rec. December 29, 1924 (Victor)
- Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards – rec. January 2, 1925[4]
- Jack Hylton and his Orchestra – rec. March 29, 1926
- Buddy Lee with the Gilt–Edged Four – rec. May 17, 1926 (Columbia)
- Buck and Bubbles – rec. December 26, 1933 (Columbia)
- Django Reinhardt - (1934, 1937, 1948)
- Red Norvo and His Swing Sextet – (Mar 16, 1936)
- Benny Goodman Trio – rec. April 27, 1936[4] as the B–side of China Boy (Victor)[5]
- Jones-Smith Incorporated (feat. Lester Young and Count Basie) - rec. October 9, 1936 - released as Vocalion 3459, matrix C-1660-1
- Slim & Slam – rec. May 3, 1938 (Vocalion)
- Count Basie – rec. February 4, 1939 (Decca)
- Artie Shaw and his Orchestra - rec. August 27, 1939 - from the short Artie Shaw's Symphony In Swing (1939) - released as Bluebird B10430-A, matrix 042609-1
- Charlie Parker and Lester Young for Jazz at the Philharmonic, January 28, 1946[4]
- Ella Fitzgerald – with Bob Haggart (1947)[4]
- Fred Astaire – rec. December 1952 – The Astaire Story
- The Gordons with Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith – rec. April 17, 1957
- Ella Fitzgerald – rec. 1959 – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook[4]
- Kenny Burrell – rec. August 25, 1959 – On View at the Five Spot Cafe (Blue Note)
- Joe Carroll – The Man with the Happy Sound (1962)
- Mel Tormé and Buddy Rich – Together Again: For the First Time (1978)
- Rob Agerbeek – Three of a Kind (1998)
- Dianne Reeves – We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song (2007)
- BBC Concert Orchestra – The Age of Swing (2009)
- John Wilson Orchestra– Gershwin in Hollywood, live at the Royal Albert Hall (2016)
- Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra – with William Edwards – Take Me to the Rag Time Dance (2023)
See also
References
- ^ "Oh, lady be good!". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 560. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 306–308. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ 78 RPM Record, Artist:Benny Goodman Trio Tracklist
External links
- "Oh, Lady Be Good!". jazzstandards.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- v
- t
- e
- Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls
- An American in Paris
- Gershwin Piano Concerto
- Three Preludes
- Who Cares?
- Blue Monday (1922)
- Porgy and Bess (1935)
- Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
- Concerto in F (1925)
- An American in Paris (1928)
- Second Rhapsody (1931)
- Cuban Overture (1932)
- Strike Up the Band (1934)
- Hoctor's Ballet (1937)
- Three Preludes (1926)
- French Ballet Class (1937)
- "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?"
- "(I've Got) Beginner's Luck"
- "Bidin' My Time"
- "Blah Blah Blah"
- "Boy Wanted"
- "Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!"
- "But Not for Me"
- "By Strauss"
- "Clap Yo' Hands"
- "Do It Again"
- "Doin' Time"
- "Embraceable You"
- "Fascinating Rhythm"
- "A Foggy Day"
- "For You, For Me, For Evermore"
- "Funny Face"
- "'The Half of It, Dearie' Blues"
- "He Loves and She Loves"
- "How Long Has This Been Going On?"
- "I Can't Be Bothered Now"
- "I Got Rhythm"
- "I Was Doing All Right"
- "I've Got a Crush on You"
- "Isn't It a Pity?"
- "Just Another Rhumba"
- "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"
- "Let's Kiss and Make Up"
- "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)"
- "Looking for a Boy"
- "Lorelei"
- "Love Is Here to Stay"
- "Love Is Sweeping the Country"
- "Love Walked In"
- "The Man I Love"
- "My Cousin in Milwaukee"
- "My One and Only"
- "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
- "Of Thee I Sing"
- "Oh, Lady Be Good!"
- "Oh, So Nice!"
- "The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag)"
- "'S Wonderful"
- "Sam and Delilah"
- "Slap That Bass"
- "Somebody from Somewhere"
- "Somebody Loves Me"
- "Someone to Watch Over Me"
- "Soon"
- "Stairway to Paradise"
- "Stiff Upper Lip"
- "Strike Up the Band"
- "Summertime"
- "Swanee"
- "That Certain Feeling"
- "They All Laughed"
- "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
- "Things Are Looking Up"
- "Tra-la-la"
- "Treat Me Rough"
- "Walking the Dog"
- "Who Cares?"
- "You've Got What Gets Me"
- Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
- By George
- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
- Ella Sings Gershwin
- Gershwin Live!
- Gershwin's World
- The Glory of Gershwin
- Ira, George and Joe
- Nice Work If You Can Get It
- Oscar Peterson Plays the George Gershwin Songbook
- Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove
- Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin
- Gershwin Prize
- Ira Gershwin (brother)
- Arthur Gershwin (brother)
- Frances Gershwin (sister)
- Gershwin Theatre