Various Artists – Sweet Songbirds

Sweet Songbirds gathers fifty performances from some of the finest female vocalists of the golden age of popular music — a period when individuality, phrasing and sheer musicality set these singers apart. Featuring both celebrated stars and lesser‑known gems, the collection offers a panoramic view of the era’s vocal artistry, including contributions from two of the great girl groups, The Andrews Sisters and The King Sisters.

Disc One moves from Ginger Rogers’ Let Yourself Go and Connie Boswell’s A New Moon Is Over My Shadow through atmospheric favourites like Ella Fitzgerald’s Imagination, Doris Day’s Sentimental Journey, Ginny Simms’ Skylark and Frances Langford’s Over the Rainbow. The programme also includes standout performances from Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Shore, Lena Horne, Patti Page and many more, each track showcasing a different shade of mid‑century vocal style.

Disc Two continues the journey with Kate Smith, Helen Forrest, Ella Fitzgerald, Lee Wiley, Kitty Kallen, Marilyn Duke, Helen O’Connell and The Andrews Sisters, alongside expressive ballads from Jane Froman, Rosemary Clooney, Frances Langford, Marion Marlowe, Sarah Vaughan, Patti Page, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore and Caterina Valente. Together, the selections highlight the emotional range and interpretive skill that made these singers enduring favourites.

For collectors and enthusiasts, Sweet Songbirds is both a generous anthology and a beautifully curated portrait of the women whose voices shaped the sound of popular music’s golden era.

Track Listing

Disc 1

1. Let Yourself Go – Ginger Rogers
2. A New Moon Is Over My Shadow – Connie Boswell
3. Perfidia – Dorothy Lamour
4. Goodnight My Love – Alice Faye
5. Imagination – Ella Fitzgerald
6. Ferry Boat Serenade – The King Sisters
7. Two Dreams Met – Yvette
8. Sentimental Journey – Doris Day
9. Skylark – Ginny Simms
10. Mountain High, Valley Low – Mary Martin
11. While The Music Plays On – Anne Shelton
12. I Can Dream, Can’t I? – The Andrews Sisters
13. I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Betty Rhodes
14. But Not For Me – Monica Lewis
15. Everybody Knew But Me – Dinah Shore
16. My Reverie – Sarah Vaughan
17. I Thought Of You Last Night – Jeri Southern
18. I Never Knew – Peggy Lee
19. Over The Rainbow – Frances Langford
20. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – Kathryn Grayson
21. All Through The Day – Margaret Whiting
22. Suddenly – Beryl Davis
23. At Long Last Love – Lena Horne
24. You Belong To Me – Patti Page
25. The Wayward Wind – Gogi Grant

Disc 2

1. Somebody Loves Me – Kate Smith
2. I Had The Craziest Dream – Helen Forrest
3. He’s My Guy – Ella Fitzgerald
4. A Rose And A Prayer – The King Sisters
5. I’ve Got A Crush On You – Lee Wiley
6. My Heart Belongs To Daddy – Kitty Kallen
7. Sand In My Shoes – Connie Boswell
8. Yours – Marilyn Duke
9. When The Sun Comes Out – Helen O’ Connell
10. Near You – The Andrews Sisters
11. I Should Care – Martha Tilton
12. With A Song In My Heart – Jane Froman
13. In Love, In Vain – Margaret Whiting
14. I Only Saw Him Once – Rosemary Clooney
15. What Is This Thing Called Love – Ginny Simms
16. Little White Gardenia – Frances Langford
17. The Man I Love – Marion Marlowe
18. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year – Sarah Vaughan
19. Never – Toni Arden
20. All My Love – Patti Page
21. Bye Bye Blackbird – Peggy Lee
22. Little Girl Blue – Lena Horne
23. Something Wonderful – Jane Powell
24. It Never Entered My Mind – Dinah Shore
25. The Breeze And I – Caterina Valente