The American jazz and pop singer Toni Harper was a remarkable performer, beginning her career as a child star, and  first appearing on stage as a dancer at the age of 12, then starting to sing with noted jazz orchestras a couple of years later, immediately having her first hit 1948 when she was 14. After a few quiet years, she started recording albums in the mid-1950s and made some high-quality jazz and sophisticated pop collections before retiring from the business in 1960 in her early’30s. 

This 73-track 3-CD collection comprises a significant proportion – around 70% - of her career recorded output, and includes singles for Columbia and Verve with the bands of Eddie Beale, Herb Jeffries, Dizzy Gillespie and Buddy Bregman, plus the tracks from her album “Toni” on Verve, and the albums “Lady Lonely” and “Night Mood” on RCA. It includes her 1948 R&B hit single “Candy Store Blues”. On her Verve album she is accompanied by Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Alvin Stoller. 

She was an unusual, distinctive and stylish performer, and this selection of recordings from across her career is an enlightening showcase for her often unheralded talents.

CD 1
1. DOLLY'S LULLABY Toni Harper With Eddie Beal And His Sextet (Columbia 38229) 1948 
2. CANDY STORE BLUES Toni Harper With Eddie Beal And His Sextet (Columbia 38229) 1948 
3. TABBY THE CAT Toni Harper With Eddie Beal And His Sextet (Columbia 38265) 1948 
4. YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING Toni Harper With Eddie Beal And His Sextet (Columbia 38265) 1948 
5. BIPPITY BE-BOP PONY Toni Harper (Columbia 38430) 1949 
6. MISS IN BETWEEN BLUES Toni Harper (Columbia 38430) 1949 
7. PEPPERMINT STICK Toni Harper & Herb Jeffries (Columbia 38541) 1949 
8. YOU'RE TOO TALL, I'M TOO SMALL Toni Harper & Herb Jeffries (Columbia 38541) 1949 
9. THE MUFFIN MAN Toni Harper (Columbia 38598) 1949 
10. CINDERELLA BABY Toni Harper (Columbia 38598) 1949 
11. IT'S STORY TIME AGAIN Toni Harper (Columbia 38788) 1950 
12. ROCK-A-BYE BABY Toni Harper (Columbia 38788) 1950 
13. FLOPPY Toni Harper (Columbia 38801) 1950 
14. IS THAT ALL I MEAN TO YOU Toni Harper (Columbia 38823) 1950 
15. GET GOIN' ENGINEER Toni Harper (Columbia 38823) 1950 
16. SAM'S SONG Toni Harper (Columbia 38876) 1950 
17. HAPPY FEET Toni Harper (Columbia 38876) 1950 
18. DISH RAG Toni Harper (Columbia 38917) 1950 
19. GET UP Toni Harper (Columbia 38917) 1950 
20. SNOWY WHITE SNOW AND JINGLE BELLS Toni Harper (Columbia 38977) 1950 
21. JINGLE BELLS Toni Harper (Columbia 38977) 1950 
22. BABY BLUES Harry James & His Orch. with Toni Harper (Columbia 39390) 1951 
23. PECULIAR KIND OF FEELING Harry James & His Orch. with  Toni Harper (Columbia 39390) 1951 
24. THAT'S ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS Toni Harper (Columbia 39571) 1951 
25. MOM AND DAD'S WALTZ Toni Harper (Columbia 39571) 1951 
26. BLACKSMITH BLUES Harry James & Toni Harper (Columbia 39671) 1952

CD 2
1. DON'T SEND ME HOME Harry James & Toni Harper (Columbia 39671) 1952 
2. MELANCHOLY TRUMPET (OOH-WAH) Harry James & His Orchestra (Columbia 39846) 1952 
3. FRUIT CAKE Tony Harper & Harry James (Columbia 39877) 1952 
4. SILLY HEART Toni Harper (Columbia 39941) 1953 
5. I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU Toni Harper (Columbia 39941) 1953 
6. TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE Toni Harper (Verve MGV8173) 1955 
7. PLAY ME THE BLUES Toni Harper (Verve MGV8173) 1955 
8. I TELEPHONED I TELEGRAPHD Toni Harper (Verve 2005) 1956 
9. WE GOT TO LIVE, GOT TO GROW Toni Harper (Verve 2005) 1956 
10. CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? Toni Harper 
11. I COULD WRITE A BOOK Toni Harper 
12. GONE WITH THE WIND Toni Harper 
13. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Toni Harper 
14. LOVE FOR SALE Toni Harper 
15. JUST A SITTIN' AND A-ROCKIN' Toni Harper 
16. A FOGGY DAY Toni Harper 
17. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Toni Harper 
18. BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED Toni Harper 
19. LITTLE GIRL BLUE Toni Harper 
20. YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME Toni Harper 
21. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE Toni Harper
From the album “Toni” (Verve MGV2001) 1956
22. LADY LONELY Toni Harper 
23. HE WAS A MAN Toni Harper 
From the album “Lady Lonely” (RCA-Victor LPM2092) 1959

CD 3
1. IN THE DARK OF NIGHT Toni Harper 
2. MY HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER Toni Harper 
3. LACK OF LOVE Toni Harper 
4. BLUE IT GROWS Toni Harper 
5. I LOVE THE BLUES Toni Harper 
6. YOU TAUGHT ME HOW TO CRY Toni Harper 
7. VELVET HAMMER Toni Harper 
8. OTHER WOMAN Toni Harper 
9. NOBODY HOME BUT THE BLUES Toni Harper 
10. BUSY BLUES Toni Harper 
11. LOVE HAS COME, LOVE HAS GONE Toni Harper 
12. RIVER WEEP Toni Harper 
From the album “Lady Lonely” (RCA-VictorLP2092) 1959
13. IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT Toni Harper 
14. PARADISE Toni Harper 
15. 'ROUND MIDNIGHT Toni Harper 
16. THE MEANING OF THE BLUES Toni Harper 
17. SATURDAY NIGHT (IS THE LONELIEST NIGHT IN THE WEEK) Toni Harper 
18. NIGHT AFTER NIGHT Toni Harper 
19. JUST GO Toni Harper 
20. A SLEEPIN' BEE Toni Harper 
21. MY SHIP Toni Harper 
22. YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC Toni Harper 
23. PETALS ON THE POND Toni Harper 
24. WHERE FLAMINGOS FLY Toni Harper 
From the album “Night Mood” RCA-Victor (LPM2253) 1960