During the mid-'50s, Joe Williams was one of the hottest properties in vocal jazz thanks to a big hit recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra ("Every Day I Have the Blues").
But when he moved from Verve to Roulette a few years later, he modified his version of the big-band blues for his first album with the label.
Roulette owner Morris Levy was interested in crossover potential -- he had recently hit number one in 1957 with the folk-pop singer Jimmie Rodgers -- and he had Williams record an album of lush ballads with strings arranged by swing veteran Jimmy Mundy.
(Vocal fans thinking of Frank Sinatra as arranged by Gordon Jenkins instead of Billy May will be well on their way to imagining the sound of A Man Ain't Supposed to Cry.) Although Williams, like Sinatra, was a fabulous swing vocalist, he was also an excellent balladeer with a rich vibrato and the confidence to let a straight reading speak for itself.
Torch songs comprise most of the song list, and include "What's New?," "It's the Talk of the Town," "Where Are You," and Irving Berlin's "Say It Isn't So.".
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | It's the Talk of the TownJerry Livingston, Al J. Neiburg, Marty Symes | Joe Williams | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | I'll Never Smile AgainRuth Lowe | Joe Williams | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | I've Only Myself to BlameRedd Evans, Dave Mann | Joe Williams | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Say It Isn't SoIrving Berlin | Joe Williams | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | You've Got Me Crying AgainIsham Jones, Charles Newman | Joe Williams | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | A Man Ain't Supposed to CryNorman Gimbel, Frankie Laine, Irving Reid | Joe Williams | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | What's New | Joe Williams | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | I'm Thru with Love | Joe Williams | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Where Are You ('Top of the Town') | Joe Williams | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | What Will I Tell My Heart | Joe Williams | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Can't We Talk It Over | Joe Williams | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | I Laugh to Keep from Crying | Joe Williams | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 35 mins | 81 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Adamson | Composer |
| 2 | Malcolm Addey | Remastering |
| 3 | Irving Berlin | Composer |
| 4 | L. Brown | Composer |
| 5 | Johnny Burke | Composer |
| 6 | Michael Cuscuna | Reissue Producer |
| 7 | Joel Dorn | Liner Notes, Producer |
| 8 | Nancy Dwyer | Illustrations |
| 9 | Redd Evans | Composer |
| 10 | David Gahr | Photography |
| 11 | James Gavin | Liner Notes |
| 12 | Norman Gimbel | Composer |
| 13 | Irving Gordon | Composer |
| 14 | Bob Haggart | Composer |
| 15 | Hugo | Producer |
| 16 | Isham Jones | Composer |
| 17 | Jimmy Jones | Piano |
| 18 | Gus Kahn | Composer |
| 19 | Lester Krauss | Cover Photo |
| 20 | Frankie Laine | Composer |
| 21 | Jack Lawrence | Composer |
| 22 | Fud Livingston | Composer |
| 23 | Jerry Livingston | Composer |
| 24 | Ruth Lowe | Composer |
| 25 | Luigi | Producer |
| 26 | Matty Malneck | Composer |
| 27 | Dave Mann | Composer |
| 28 | Jimmy McHugh | Composer |
| 29 | Jimmy Mundy | Arranger, Conductor |
| 30 | Jimmy Mundy Orchestra | Bass, Drums, Guitar, Piano, Strings, Vibraphone |
| 31 | Al J. Neiburg | Composer |
| 32 | Charles Newman | Composer |
| 33 | Gene Paul | Mastering |
| 34 | Irving Reid | Composer |
| 35 | Teddy Reig | Producer |
| 36 | Patrick Roques | Reissue Art Director, Reissue Design |
| 37 | Marty Symes | Composer |
| 38 | Peter Tinturin | Composer |
| 39 | Barry Ulanov | Liner Notes, Original Liner Notes |
| 40 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| 41 | Michael Weiner | Production Coordination |
| 42 | Joe Williams | Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 43 | Lester Young | Composer |
| 44 | Victor Young | Composer |
Joe Williams
2001 - 10 tracks
The Heart And Soul Of Joe Williams And George Shearing - Joe Williams, George Shearing
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |