MABEL MERCER
(February 3, 2000 - April 20, 1984)

Major Engagements:

Bricktop's, Paris (c. 1931-1938)
Le Ruban Bleu, N.Y.C. (1938)
Mon Paris, N.Y.C. (1940)
Onxy Club, N.Y.C. (1941)
The Three Deuces, N.Y.C. (1942)
Tony's West Side, N.Y.C. (c. 1943-1949)
Byline Room, Show Spot Bar, N.Y.C. (c. 1949-1955)
RSVP, N.Y.C. (c. 1956-1960)
Upstairs At The Downstairs, N.Y.C. (c. 1960-1963)
Cafe Carlyle, Carlyle Hotel, N.Y.C. (c. mid-1960s)
Town Hall, N.Y.C. (1968, 1969)
St. Regis Room, St. Regis Hotel, N.Y.C. (c. 1972-1975)
Cleo's, N.Y.C. (1977)

1942

Mabel Mercer Sings, Cy Walter Plays…Selection From George Gershwin's Porgy And Bess, 78/Liberty Music Shop album L-360/362 (Mabel Mercer with Cy Walter, piano) (1942) [reissued on Cabin In The Sky/Porgy And Bess/Carib Song, CD/AEI-CD 017]

Tracks: Summertime: My Man's Gone Now; I Loves You, Porgy

1953

Songs By Mabel Mercer, Vol. 1, 10"/Atlantic ALS-402 (Mabel Mercer with Sam Hamilton, piano, and rhythm accompaniment) [reissued on The Art Of Mabel Mercer, CD/Collectables 6838]

Tracks: Remind Me; Little Girl Blue; You Are Not My First Love; Hello Young Lovers; Just One Of Those Things; The End Of A Love Affair; Ivory Tower; The First Warm Day In May; Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves); Sunday In Savannah

Note: Recorded on November 17, 1951 in N.Y.C. The recording session for this album included a rejected take of "While We're Young."

Songs By Mabel Mercer, Vol. 2, 10"/Atlantic ALS-403 (Mabel Mercer with Stan Freeman and Cy Walter, pianos) [reissued on The Art Of Mabel Mercer, CD/Collectables 6838]

Tracks: Some Fine Day; From This Moment On; Let Me Love You; Trouble Man; By Myself; Over The Weekend; Goodbye John; Sneeden's Landing (Did You Ever Cross Over To Sneeden's); Would You Believe It

Note: Recorded on May 29 and June 1, 1952 in N.Y.C. The recording sessions for this album included a recording of "It Happens All Over The World" which was eventually issued in 1959 on The Art Of Mabel Mercer, Atlantic 2-602 [reissued as CD/Collectables 6838], and a recording of "Experiment" that remains unissued.

Songs By Mabel Mercer, Vol. 3, 10"/Atlantic ALS-408 (Mabel Mercer with Cy Coleman, piano, and music conducted by Cy Coleman) [reissued on The Art Of Mabel Mercer, CD/Collectables 6838]

Tracks: It Was Worth It; Charm; Thank You For The Flowers; Early Morning Blues; The Riviera; While We're Young; You Will Wear Velvet; Carry Me Back To Old Manhattan

Note: Recorded on June 19 and July 10, 1953 in N.Y.C. Unissued takes of "Charm," "Early Morning Blues," "It Was Worth It," and "You Will Wear Velvet" exist, as well as a rejected take of an unknown number.

1955

Mabel Mercer Sings Cole Porter, Atlantic 1213 (Mabel Mercer with Stan Freeman, piano, Cy Walter, piano, and Frank Carroll, bass) [reissued as CD/Rhino 71690 (with bonus tracks)]

Tracks: It's De-Lovely; After You; Where, Oh Where?; Use Your Imagination; Ace In The Hole; It's All Right With me; So In Love; I'm Ashamed That Women Are So Simple; Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye; Experiment; Ours; Looking At You; When Love Comes Your Way

Note: Recorded on November 7, 1954 in N.Y.C.

1956

Midnight At Mabel Mercer's, Atlantic 1244 (Mabel Mercer with George Cory or Sam Hamilton, piano, and Milt Hinton, bass) [reissued on Midnight At Mabel Mercer's/Once In A Blue Moon, CD/Collectables COL-CD-6603]

Tracks: Just Once Around The Clock; Poor Pierrot; Young And Foolish; It's A Lie, It's A Fake!; Walk-Up; Is It Always Like This?; Blame It On My Youth; Wait 'Til You See Her; He Was Too Good To Me; Wouldn't It Be Loverly; Lazy Afternoon; Mandy, Make Up Your Mind; Lonely Little Boy; Sonnet; Lucky To Be Me; Some Other Time

Note: Recorded on June 17-18, 1956 in N.Y.C.

1959

Once In A Blue Moon, Atlantic SD-1301 (Mabel Mercer with George Cory, piano, and orchestra conducted by George Cory) [reissued on Midnight At Mabel Mercer's/Once In A Blue Moon, CD/Collectables COL-CD-6603]

Tracks: Once In A Blue Moon; In The Spring Of The Year; Look At 'Im; Guess I'll Go Back Home (This Summer); I'm Glad I'm Not Young Any More; My Shining Hour; The Twelve Days Of Christmas; Whenever Winds Blow; Isn't He Adorable; Isn't It A Pity; If You Leave Paris; Sunday In New York; If Love Were All; Sail Away

Note: Recorded on September 24, September 26, and December 9, 1958 in N.Y.C. An alternate take of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" was released on Once In A Blue Moon, 45/Atlantic EP 621.

1960

Merely Marvelous Mabel Mercer, Atlantic SD-1322 (Mabel Mercer with Jimmy Lyon, piano, Jimmy Raney or Joe Puma, guitar, Beverly Peer, bass, and Tim Kennedy, drums) [reissued on Trav'lin' Light/Merely Marvelous, CD/Collectables COL-CD-6249]

Tracks: Merely Marvelous; Let's Begin; All In Fun; The Fifth Of July; Don't Dream Of Anybody But Me; (Run For The) Round House Nellie; Sell Me; Love Wise; Nobody Else But Me; You're Nearer; I Walk A Little Faster; You Fascinate Me So

Note: Recorded on October 22 and December 3, 1959 and on January 11, 1960 in N.Y.C. The recording sessions for this album included unissued takes of "Come Away With Me" and "What Is There To Say."

1964

Mabel Mercer Sings, Decca DL 4472 (Mabel Mercer) [reissued as For Always, Stanyan SR-10108; Mabel Mercer, CAS/MCA MCAC-1516]

Tracks: Once Upon A Time; Year After Year; Mira (Can You Imagine That?), My Resistance Is Low; I've Got Your Number; Run To Love; Try To Remember; The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men; Trouble Comes; More I Cannot Wish You; This Is All I Ask; Hello, My Lover, Goodbye

Note: Recorded June-July 1964. The Decca reissue omit "I've Got Your Number" and "Trouble Comes."

1968

Mabel Mercer And Bobby Short At Town Hall, Atlantic SD 2-604 (Mabel Mercer with Jimmy Lyon, piano, except as noted) [reissued on At Town Hall/Second Town Hall Concert, CD/Collectables COL-CD-6839]

Tracks: All Of You; Staying Young; Children In The Carousel; Season's Greetings; Isn't He Adorable?; Bad Is For Other People; You Should See Yourself; Sweet Talk; Why Did I Choose You; Jenny Rebecca; Lazy Afternoon; Confession; The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (also with Bobby Short, piano and voice, Beverly Peer, bass, and Richard Sheridan, drums); Here's To Us (also with Bobby Short, piano and voice, Beverly Peer, bass, and Richard Sheridan, drums)

Note: Recorded on May 19, 1968, Town Hall, N.Y.C.

1969

Mabel Mercer And Bobby Short - Second Town Hall Concert, Atlantic SD 2-605 (Mabel Mercer with Buddy Barnes, piano, except as noted) [reissued on At Town Hall/Second Town Hall Concert, CD/Collectables COL-CD-6839]

Tracks: Not A Moment Too Soon; Boys And Girls Together; Both Sides Now; Love Is Blue; Mama's Little Girl; Wait Till We're Sixty-Five; I See It Now; Down In The Depths; The Best is Yet To Come; The World Today; These Foolish Things; Days Gone By; I'm Not Giving Up; Good Night (also with Bobby Short, piano and voice, Beverly Peer, bass, and Richard Sheridan, drums)

Note: Recorded on May 18, 1969, Town Hall, N.Y.C.

1980

Echoes Of My Life, Audiophile AP-161/162 (Mabel Mercer with Loonis McGlohon, piano, Terry Lassiter, bass, and Jim Lackey, drums) [reissued as CD/Audiophile ACD-161]

Tracks: When The World Was Young; Days Gone By; When In Rome; Someone To Light Up My Life; Sweet Talk; The Door Opened; Dancing On The Ceiling; Is It Always Like This?; Just In Time; Be A Child; I'm All Smiles; Christopher Robin; Wait Till You See Her; I'll Be Around; If There's Love Enough; You Came A Long Way From St. Louis; Why Did I Choose You? Falling In Love With Love; Send In The Clowns; How Do You Day "Auf Wiedersehen?"; Grow Tall My Son; Try To Remember; Time Heals Everything; By Myself; Echoes Of My Life

Note: Recorded in July 1976 at Dick Phipps' Home Music Room, Lake Murray Estates, Lexington, South Carolina. The 1999 CD reissue includes two extra tracks not included in the original LP release: Fun To Be Fooled; The Harp-Weaver.

2002

Legendary Performers - Mabel Mercer: Previously Unreleased Live Performances, CD/Harbinger HCD-2001 (Mabel Mercer with Sam Hamilton, piano, except as noted)

Tracks: Everybody's Lookin' (Around For An Angel); Put On A Happy Face; After You, Who?; Trouble Comes; Season's Greetings; The Family Is Home (with Cy Walter, piano); Sunday In New York; Lazy Afternoon; When The World Was Youg; While We're Young; I Feel Pretty; Isn't He Adorable?; They Were You; Mira; Merely Marvelous; From This Moment On; Some Fine Day (with Stan Freeman and Cy Walter, pianos); Days Gone By; Once Upon A Time (with Stan Freeman and Cy Walter, pianos); If You Leave Paris; Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye; Looking At You; More I Cannot Wish You

Note: Recorded live during the 1960s.

2005

Americans In Holland: The Great Thirties, CD/Timeless TIM-1086 (Mabel Mercer with Eddie South, violin)

Track: Marie

Note: Recorded in March 1938, Holland.