As the 1950s began, Doris Day was already an established singer and actress; her time as a Big Band singer was all but over. However, while she was making a transition to dramatic movie actress, she had her biggest hit with what became her signature song, "Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" in 1956 and scored her last Top Ten hit in 1958 with "Everybody Loves a Lover."
"Fever" is recognized as Peggy Lee's signature song, a cover of a Little Willie John song to which she added her own lyrics. It reached number eight on the Billboard charts in 1958. As well as a sultry-voiced singer, she was a successful lyricist, collaborating with a wide range of composers. Her Big Band break was with Benny Goodman in 1941, and she had a string of hits with his orchestra over the next two years.
Dinah Shore sang for Eddie Cantor's radio show and put together a string of hits in the 1940s. RCA Records signed her in 1950 to a deal where she would record 100 songs for $1 million. In her later career, she turned successfully to television.
Jo Stafford starred with Tommy Dorsey's band, and in 1950 signed with Columbia Records. Later she became the first artist to sell 25 million records for Columbia, as well as achieving her highest chart success.
Coming to a jazz-oriented sound from the demise of the swing orchestras, Fitzgerald and Holiday represented a different side to the songbird. Fitzgerald began her career with Tiny Bradshaw and Artie Shaw, achieving solo success in the '50s, particularly with the Verve record label. Also with Verve Records in the 50s, Billie Holiday recorded 1/3 of her catalog, though her health was in decline. Though not as prolific a songwriter as Fitzgerald, Holiday wrote some of her own signature tunes. Recording first with Benny Goodman at age 18, she is regarded by many as one of the finest singers in any genre.
Anita O'Day first worked with drummer Gene Krupa's band before going on to solo success. Her unique vocal style developed from necessity after a botched tonsillectomy when she was young. By the 1950s she was charting singles, but her career was interrupted by drug busts and addiction. Rosemary Clooney sang with Tony Pastor in the mid-1940s and scored the novelty hit "Come On-a My House," a tune she hated. It began a string of chart hits that lasted until 1960.