The Weekend Stream Extra: Legacy Announces Doris Day Digital Campaign

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Last April, the Doris Day centennial celebration kicked off. It's since encompassed a rarities collection on CD and the vinyl premiere of Doris' final studio album, My Heart, from Real Gone Music as well as a beautiful coffee table book from Hermes Press, various film and television screenings on Turner Classic Movies, and a flurry of charitable work benefiting the Doris Day Animal Foundation. As a finale to the celebration, Sony's Legacy Recordings has committed to refreshing the late superstar's discography on all digital download and streaming services.

Last Friday, Legacy premiered the long out-of-print 2-CD collection from Doris and Les Brown and His Orchestra, The Complete Okeh and Columbia Recordings 1940-1946, to all digital platforms. It's just one of many releases coming from Legacy which will, collectively, make her entire Columbia catalogue - spanning 1941-1967 - available once again. The digital campaign adds all of Doris' Columbia singles and the full collection of her albums for the label.

The new digital offerings will be released in chronological order and are split into two main categories: singles and original albums. The singles will be grouped into 40-42 song playlists, while the core albums will be presented in their original sequences with bonus material when applicable. Playlists may be downloaded or streamed in full, or the listener can choose to mix and match individual tracks to create their own customized Doris Day compilations. Alternate takes, unreleased tracks and other rare recordings will be sprinkled throughout the series.

Producer Charles L. Granata, part of the Legacy digital team, comments in the press release, "Acknowledging Doris' invaluable contributions to Columbia's success from the 1940s through the 1960s and beyond, in addition to her tremendous appeal as both a vocalist and actress, is extremely important. The focus of Doris' artistry is what we affectionately call the American Songbook. As tastes change over the years, these songs--and Doris' superb interpretation of them--will always remain beloved by discriminating music lovers and serve as a master class for music artists throughout the world."

Sony Music Entertainment has also announced that the Doris Day Animal Foundation will be presented with a RIAA Gold Record Award for her 1958 album Doris Day's Greatest Hits. The album was certified Gold in 1964 and has remained in print for 65 years. It features a dozen of Day's beloved classics including "Everybody Loves a Lover," "It's Magic" and the Academy Award-winning pair of "Secret Love" and "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera)" from the films Calamity Jane and The Man Who Knew Too Much, respectively. Presentation of the award will occur at a date to be announced at Carmel, California's Cypress Inn, the pet-friendly boutique hotel formerly co-owned by Doris.

The Complete Okeh and Columbia Recordings 1940-1946 is streaming now. Watch the Weekend Stream for future Doris Day updates!

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.