Black Coffee

Black Coffee is the first album by Peggy Lee, released in the ten-inch format in 1953 on Decca Records in the United States, catalogue DL 5482. In 1956, at the request of the record label, Lee recorded four more songs for a reissue of the album in the twelve-inch LP format, catalogue DL 8358. The 1956 cover is pictured at the right. By 1953, Lee had been recording professionally since joining the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1941, but had only released songs on 78s or 45s. This was her first opportunity to record an album, and in the early 1950s, common record company wisdom reserved the 12" LP for classical music and, in the case of Decca and Columbia Records, cast recordings of Broadway musicals. This practice would end soon after this...