The 15th addition to Retrospective’s invaluable series of the great songwriters pays tribute to the man who set the ‘Roaring Twenties’ to music, Buffalo-born Raymond Brost (1896-1970). As Ray Henderson, he created so many of the most popular songs of the era, with the 27 finest collected on Retrospective’s The Best Things in Life are Free. He was best known as the composing third of the all-conquering songwriting team of De Sylva, Brown & Henderson, with whom he wrote such happy evergreens as Together, You’re the Cream in my Coffee, Button Up Your Overcoat, The Black Bottom, I’m a Dreamer Aren’t We All, and of course, Sonny Boy. Henderson also worked with other lyricists, with hits including Bye-Bye Blackbird, I’m Sitting on Top of the World, Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue. His music still never fails to bring instant cheer. As with each of the songwriter issues, an amazing roster of artists has been ga thered, carefully chosen to give the best presentation of each song, and mostly contemporaneous with the title’s first appearance. The line-up includes Bing Crosby, Ruth Etting, Gracie Fields, Dick Haymes, Gene Austin, Rudy Vallée, Dinah Shore, The Andrews Sisters and many more. Enjoy some of ‘the best things in life’.

Contents:
1. The Best Things in Life are Free
– Dinah Shore
2. Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue
– Gene Austin
3. I’m Sitting on Top of the World
– Frank Crumit
4. Bye-Bye, Blackbird
– Gene Austin
5. Lucky Day
– The Revelers
6. The Black Bottom
– Annette Hanshaw
7. It All Depends on You
– Ruth Etting
8. So Blue
– Nick Lucas
9. Magnolia
– Johnny Marvin
10. The Varsity Drag
– George Olsen
11. You’re the Cream in my Coffee
– Ruth Etting
12. Button Up Your Overcoat
– Helen Kane
13. Sunny Side Up
– Johnny Hamp
14. If I Had a Talking Picture of You
– Gracie Fields
15 . I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All?
– Gracie Fields
16 . Never Swat a Fly
– Mckinney’s Cotton Pickers
17. Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries
– Rudy Vallée
1 8. The Thrill is Gone
– Rudy Vallée
1 9. My Dog Loves Your Dog
– Cliff ‘Ukulele Ike’ Edwards
20. The Birth of the Blues
– Bing Crosby
21. Together
– Helen Forest & Dick Haymes
22. Sonny Boy
– Al Jolson
23. My Sin
– Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters
24. Here am I, Broken-Hearted
– Johnnie Ray
25. Alabamy Bound
– Bing Crosby
26. Don’t Bring Lulu
– Dorothy Provine
27. Let’s Call It a Day
– Hutch