Various Artists – Nightingales Can Sing The Blues

This evocative anthology gathers a rich selection of performances from some of the finest female singers of the mid‑century, each exploring themes of longing, memory and heartache. The programme opens with Connie Boswell’s In a Second‑Hand Store and Dorothy Squires’ Moonlight on the Waterfall, setting a reflective tone that continues through Bea Wain’s My Reverie and Joan Edwards’ While a Cigarette Was Burning.

The collection moves gracefully through a series of standout moments: Ginny Simms’ I Can’t Get Started With You, Beryl Davis’ While the Music Plays On, Helen O’Connell’s I’m Steppin’ Out With a Memory Tonight and Lee Wiley’s A Ship Without a Sail. Peggy Lee delivers the atmospheric title track, A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues, while Lena Horne’s Little Girl Blue and Monica Lewis’s But Not for Me add further emotional colour.

Later selections include Lu Ann Simms’ Moving Away, Fran Warren’s Empty Chair, June Valli’s All Alone, Dinah Shore’s Stolen Love and Patti Page’s The Thrill Is Gone. The programme closes with a run of beautifully delivered performances: Gogi Grant’s The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else), Eydie Gormé’s Guess Who I Saw Today, Jane Powell’s Ev’rytime, Jane Morgan’s I Can Dream Can’t I?, Julie Andrews’ Canterbury Fair and Teddi King’s The Talk of the Town.

Together, these recordings form a tender, atmospheric portrait of the “great ladies of song” at their most expressive — a collection steeped in nostalgia, elegance and emotional truth.

Track Listing

1. In A Second-Hand Store – Connie Boswell
2. Moonlight On The Waterfall – Dorothy Squires
3. My Reverie – Bea Wain
4. While A Cigarette Was Burning – Joan Edwards
5. I Can’t Get Started With You – Ginny Simms
6. While The Music Plays On – Beryl Davis
7. I’m Steppin’ Out With A Memory Tonight – Helen O’ Connell
8. A Ship Without A Sail – Lee Wiley
9. You’re In My Arms – Anne Shelton
10. A Nightingale Can Sing The Blues – Peggy Lee
11. Little Girl Blue – Lena Horne
12. But Not For Me – Monica Lewis
13. Moving Away – Lu Ann Simms
14. Empty Chair – Fran Warren
15. All Alone – June Valli
16. Stolen Love – Dinah Shore
17. The Thrill Is Gone – Patti Page
18. The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else) – Gogi Grant
19. Guess Who I Saw Today – Eydie Gorme
20. Ev’rytime – Jane Powell
21. I Can Dream Can’t I? – Jane Morgan
22. Canterbury Fair – Julie Andrews
23. The Talk Of The Town – Teddi King