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*An album of jazz standards recorded by Diana Ross more than 30 years ago will be released for the first time on June 20 via Motown/UME.
The disc, titled "Blue," was supposed to be a companion to the soundtrack for the 1972 film "Lady Sings the Blues," the Billie Holliday biopic starring Ross in the title role. But she instead chose to follow up the project with "Touch Me in the Morning," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. "Blue’s" shelved masters were only recently discovered in Motown's vault, according to the label.
Produced and arranged by longtime Ross collaborator Gil Askey, “Blue” includes her take on such standards as Cole Porter's "Let's Do It," Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen's "But Beautiful," the Gershwin Brothers' "I Loves Ya Porgy" and the Motown original "Had You Been Around," which was performed in "Lady Sings the Blues" by Michelle Allar.
Three bonus tracks round out the set: "Easy Living," "He's Funny That Way" and Duke Ellington's "Solitude." All three were recorded during the "Lady Sings the Blues" sessions but never released.