Lacquer disc of Billie Holiday master recordings: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An instantaneous transcription disc, the label notes the Client as Norman Granz, the Artist as Billie Holiday, and the Date as 7/28/52. The record contains the master recordings of the songs "My Man," "Lover Come Back to Me," "Stormy Weather," and "Yesterdays."

Consists of: Instantaneous Transcription Disc (a) and Original Disc Sleeve (b).

The recording on side 1 begins with a man listing the take of the first recording, "C 839 take 6." The first song on the recording is "My Man." As a man lists the take for the next song, "C 840 take 4," Billie Holiday can be heard making a quick note before she begins to sing "Just press off because [Inaudible]" She then sings "Lover Come Back to Me."

The recording on side 2 begins with a man listing the take "C 841 take 2." Billie Holiday begins singing "Stormy Weather," but the song is cut short after approximately 20 seconds. The take is re-listed as "C 841 take 3." Holiday then begins again with "Stormy Weather." The listing of the second song on the recording is distorted, but should be C 842 take 2. Holiday then sings "Yesterdays."

2010.50.2b: Original disc sleeve. audiodiscs / Audio Device Inc. / 444 Madison Avenue / New York, N.Y.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1952
• Recorded by: Billie Holiday, American, 1915 - 1959
• Produced by: Norman Granz, 1918 - 2001
• Written by: Harold Arlen, American, 1905 - 1986
• Written by: Ted L. Koehler, American, 1894 - 1973
• Written by: Jerome Kern, American, 1885 - 1945
• Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, American, 1895 - 1960
• Written by: Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian, 1887 - 1951
• Written by: Otto Abels Harbach, American, 1873 - 1963
• Type: phonograph records
• Medium: Instantaneous Transcription Disc (a): lacquer on aluminum;
• Medium: Disc Sleeve (b): ink on paper
• Dimensions: Diameter: 16 in. (40.6 cm)
• Place depicted: New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: 2010.50.2ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.