Johnny Mercer Sings Just For Fun

Scheduled for release: July 2012

Lyricist for more songs than any other songwriter in history, Oscar-winning Johnny Mercer also made recordings and had four chart-toppers in the 1940s. The 29 tracks here span four decades; from the 1940s are five fun songs appearing on CD for the first time. From the 1950s are songs Mercer recorded with the Paul Smith Trio and appearing in stereo for the first time including his own "Blues In The Night", "Spring, Spring, Spring" and "Accentuate The Positive". Also included are nine demo songs Mercer composed with Hoagy Carmichael for an aborted film project, "The Keystone Girl" to star Betty Hutton. These demos with Mercer performing and Carmichael accompanying on piano are appearing on CD for the first time and include the first ever recorded version of the Oscar-winning "In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening". The final four tracks are demos from the Mercer / Andre Previn West End stage musical "The Good Companions" starring Judi Dench. One of the four tracks, "Little Lost Dream" was rejected from the final production, and how wonderful it is to hear it being sung here by the lyricist with piano accompaniment by the composer Andre Previn.

Available on compact disc and MP3 album.

Track list:
BLUES IN THE NIGHT
LOVE IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER
OLD NINETY-SEVEN
SPRING, SPRING, SPRING
THEM THERE EYES
SOMEBODY BAD STOLE THE WEDDING BELL
ST. LOUIS BLUES
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
JAVA JIVE
HEAR THEM BELLS
THE NEW ASHMOLEAN
TAKE ME BACK TO LITTLE ROCK
THE FIRST BASEBALL GAME
LORA-BELLE LEE
MY GAL IS MINE ONCE MORE
JAMBOREE JONES
IN THE COOL, COOL, COOL OF THE EVENING
QUEENIE, THE QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST
I GUESSED IT WAS YOU ALL THE TIME
DON’T CARE FOR THE HECK OF IT
I’M ALL TIED UP
BUT THEY BETTER NOT WAIT TOO LONG
WHEN I GET YOU IN THE BACK OF MY CADILLAC
AT THE PARTY
ANY SIMILARITY IS JUST CO-INCIDENTAL
LITTLE LOST DREAM
SLIPPIN’ AROUND THE CORNER
THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY
I’LL TELL THE WORLD

Lynda Carter Earns Praise for Jazz Release 'At Last'

11 September 2009
Washington

She was known to millions as "Wonder Woman" on the 1970s television series of the same name. Actress and recording artist Lynda Carter is flying high again with the release of At Last.

Yes, as Lynda Carter proves, there is life after "Wonder Woman." But, with tracks like "You Send Me," her new album begs the question, when did she start singing?

Lynda Carter was introduced to country, blues and classical music while growing up in Phoenix, Arizona. She became a professional singer at age 14, but after winning the beauty pageant title of Miss World USA, she moved to Hollywood, California, to pursue an acting career.

While her role on "Wonder Woman" as the super heroine Princess Diana took her to dizzying new heights, Carter never gave up on singing. In fact, she performed two songs from her first solo album, Portrait, on an episode of her show.

Life after the series was even busier as Carter continued to work wonders in show business. She acted on stage and screen, hosted her own variety shows, endorsed cosmetics as a celebrity promotional model, contributed voice work for video games, and sang in nightclubs. At last, at age 58, Carter has a hit record.

When At Last jumped into the Top 10 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart, Lynda Carter couldn't have been happier. She says, "As someone who started out as a singer, it's always been a dream to be on the Billboard chart."

Carter marked her return to singing with the role of Mama Thornton in a musical production of Chicago in London. Her recent tour of "An Intimate Evening with Lynda Carter" culminated with a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

On At Last, Carter revives the works of Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Helen Humes, and George and Ira Gershwin, as well as the Jimmy Harris melody "Cloudburst."

Lynda Carter performs "Blues In The Night" (Harold Arlen - Johnny Mercer) and "Come Rain Or Come Shine Medley" (Harold Arlen - Jerome Kern - Hammerstein - Johnny Mercer) on this album.