Julie London – Julie Is Her Name

One voice, one guitar, one double bass

The personnel of Julie Is Her Name can be named in a single sentence: Julie London sings, Barney Kessel plays guitar and Ray Leatherwood plays double bass. There are no drums, no piano and no additional orchestra. This concentration is the defining premise of the album with which London made her LP debut for Liberty in 1955. Thirteen short songs form a programme in which each voice has a clear place. The economy of means is a deliberate way of focusing attention on a singer and her repertoire.

The recordings were made in August 1955 at Western Recorders in Hollywood. Bobby Troup produced, with John Neal engineering. After London’s appearances in Los Angeles, Troup had recommended her to Liberty co-founder Simon Waronker. That connection led to a record whose audience soon extended far beyond the scale of its ensemble. The single “Cry Me a River” appeared in October 1955; the album followed in December as Liberty LRP 3006. In February 1956 it reached number two on Billboard’s album chart and number one in Cash Box.

Those achievements explain its historical reach, but they are not the only reason to explore it. The record’s distinctive premise is already evident in the personnel. Without additional instrumental sections, the singer is not placed against a changing orchestral background. Guitar and bass together constitute the musical setting. This allows the listener to follow relationships between three participants throughout an entire album. Small differences from song to song can acquire particular significance within such a consistent framework.

Barney Kessel and Ray Leatherwood as partners

Barney Kessel is more than a guitarist placed behind a voice. Within this trio, his instrument performs functions that a larger ensemble might distribute among several players: harmonic orientation, rhythmic movement and the possibility of melodic responses. Ray Leatherwood supplies a second instrumental point of reference on double bass. Together they are the album’s complete accompaniment, rather than an interchangeable background. Their names belong directly alongside the singer’s when considering what makes the recording distinctive.

The absence of drums makes its rhythmic organisation particularly interesting. A sense of time need not come exclusively from percussion. It can reside in the placement of a bass note, the movement of a guitar chord and the way a singer begins or closes a line. This record offers a clear setting in which to follow those relationships. On a first hearing, the song itself may attract attention; on another, the listener might concentrate on how Kessel and Leatherwood maintain continuity between the vocal phrases.

London’s voice has often been discussed in terms of restraint. Her own assessment, later published in Life, emphasised limited scale rather than demonstrative power. That provides a useful glimpse of a singer’s understanding of her instrument, without predetermining every detail of a performance. What matters is the shaping of a song: which words receive weight, where a line ends and how voice and accompaniment connect. A reduced ensemble can make those choices especially apparent without turning the record into a competition in vocal size.

Troup’s production brings the three musicians together within a coherent album idea. The original sleeve complemented that idea with a photograph by Phil Howard and notes by Bill Ballance and Richard Breen. Image, title and music all contributed to London’s public identity. Yet it is worth looking beyond the familiar name to the actual musical work of the trio. This recording preserves Kessel’s and Leatherwood’s contributions just as specifically as it presents the singer.

From “Cry Me a River” to “Gone with the Wind”

Arthur Hamilton’s “Cry Me a River” opens the album. Hamilton had been a schoolmate of London’s; his song became her major success and a million-selling single. Her performance of it in the 1956 film The Girl Can’t Help It further associated the number with her public image. In 2001 the recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame. These milestones help explain its enduring visibility. Within the LP, however, the song is also the beginning of a much broader selection.

The first side of this 45 RPM edition moves from “Cry Me a River” through “I Should Care” to “I’m in the Mood for Love”. Side B contains “I’m Glad There Is You”, “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man” and “I Love You”. The second LP opens with “Say It Isn’t So”, “It Never Entered My Mind” and “Easy Street”. Its final side presents “’S Wonderful”, “No Moon at All”, “Laura” and “Gone with the Wind”. There are thirteen tracks: “No Moon at All” belongs to the programme even though an abbreviated publisher listing omits it.

This sequence places memorable melodies within compact performances. Most documented durations fall between just under two minutes and a little over three. The result is a different kind of album structure from a succession of extended instrumental improvisations. Each song establishes itself within a limited span before passing the space to the next. For collectors who own several interpretations of the standards, this can be especially appealing: a small ensemble and a particular singer transform familiar material into concise, self-contained statements.

A record like this can also encourage a fresh relationship with its best-known song. Beginning with the hit is an invitation, but continuing through the other twelve tracks reveals the album surrounding it. The sequence, the consistent personnel and the absence of additional instrumental layers all matter. Familiarity with one performance can become the starting point for attention to the whole record.

The title Julie Is Her Name identifies the first album, not its later second volume. That distinction remains important when collecting different formats. Volume Two is a separate programme, not another edition of these thirteen recordings. The debut retains its own identity: Hollywood in August 1955, three musicians and a selection extending well beyond the most celebrated track.

Two LPs at 45 RPM, preserving the mono recording

The Analogue Productions edition offered here is AAPP 3006-45. It spreads the complete album across two mono LPs running at 45 RPM. Bernie Grundman cut it using his tube cutting system, with pressing by Quality Record Pressings and presentation in a gatefold jacket. The current publisher description specifies 180 grams. The AP edition released in 2019 is documented at 200 grams, while a later pressing is listed at 180 grams; those records do not by themselves identify an individual stock copy’s batch.

Reproductions of the historical labels may still show 33⅓. The correct playback speed for this product is nevertheless 45 RPM. That is the practical distinction between the reproduced graphic design and the actual format. Four sides preserve the album order while interrupting it more frequently than a single 33⅓ RPM LP. Choosing this edition means choosing AP’s double-LP presentation and allowing for the additional side changes.

The recording remains mono. Later electronically reprocessed stereo editions in the title’s history are not grounds for describing this product as stereo. London’s voice, Kessel’s guitar and Leatherwood’s bass remain its musical centre. For a collection, Julie Is Her Name offers the opportunity to place a famous song back within its complete album setting. You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and dispatch from Hilden.

More by Julie London: Julie Is Her Name Vol. 2 · Latin In A Satin Mood

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Julie LondonPortrait 1958vocalsParticipation: All tracks
• Barney KesselPortrait 1957guitarParticipation: All tracks
• Ray Leatherwooddouble bassParticipation: All tracks

August 1955, Western Recorders, Hollywood. Bobby Troup, producer; John Neal, engineer. Trio on all 13 tracks: voice, guitar, double bass. No drums. This edition plays at 45 RPM despite reproduced historical labels stating 33⅓.