Nellie Lutcher was an American R&B, jazz and pop singer of the 1940s and early ‘50s, with a highly distinctive vocal style, which influenced other singers including Nina Simone. She was unusual in that she became especially popular in the UK, where she toured in the early ‘50s. This 54-track 2-CD collection comprises most of her A & B sides on the Capitol, Okeh, Epic, Decca and Liberty labels from this era. It features all her US R&B and pop hits, including the R&B No. 2 and pop No. 15 “Real Gone Guy”, the R&B No. 2s “Hurry On Down” and “Fine Brown Frame”, and the Top 10 hits “Come And Get It, Honey”, “Cool Water”, “Do You Or Don’t You Love Me”, and “The Song Is Ended”, plus her duet hit with Nat King Cole “For You My Love”. It includes performances in her early career with a small R&B combo, including notable jazz musicians like Tiny Parham, Charlie Barnet, Harry ‘Sweets Edison and Sidney Catlett, and in her later career with the orchestras of Billy May, Hal Mooney and Sy Oliver. She called time on her recording career around 1957, so this collection is a reasonably representative career overview, and a thoroughly enjoyable showcase for a talented and stylish performer, who transcended the R&B and pop idioms with ease.
