Other Performances
In addition to the 1936 Harlem Hamfats release of "The Weed Smoker's Dream", the 1941 recording of "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Lillian "Lil" Green and the 1942 and 1947 versions recorded by Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee, other versions were recorded over the years by Kay Kyser (vocals by Julie Conway), Ella Fitzgerald (see her album: "Jazz at the Philharmonic, the Ella Fitzgerald Set") and Joe Pass, Julie London, Cal Tjader and Mary Stallings, Mark Murphy, Shirley Horn, Johnny Otis, Mel Torme, Rasputina, Imelda May, Kiri Te Kanawa, Ashlee Simpson, Sinéad O'Connor, Eden Brent on her album "Mississippi Number One" (2008), White Ghost Shivers on their album Everyone's Got 'Em (2006), and the Carolina Chocolate Drops on their album "Genuine Negro Jig" (2010).
In 1960, American jazz singer, Della Reese recorded an uptempo version of the song for her album, Della Della Cha-Cha-Cha. The song was then recorded in Italy in the early 1960s by Helen Merrill while she was living there, on her album Parole e Musica: Words and Music. The LP features the unusual additions preceding each song, of spoken translations of eloquent Italian word lyrics, complementing the ballads and torch songs.
The song was memorably performed in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit by the animated character Jessica Rabbit. Although Kathleen Turner provided the acting voice for the character, the vocal performance of the song is by actress Amy Irving.
Read more about this topic: Why Don't You Do Right?
Famous quotes containing the word performances:
“At one of the later performances you asked why they called it a “miracle,”
Since nothing ever happened. That, of course, was the miracle
But you wanted to know why so much action took on so much life
And still managed to remain itself, aloof, smiling and courteous.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“This play holds the season’s record [for early closing], thus far, with a run of four evening performances and one matinee. By an odd coincidence it ran just five performances too many.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)