"Please Be Kind" is a 1938 American song composed by

Saul Chaplin Saul Chaplin (February 19, 1912 – November 15, 1997) was an American composer and musical director. He was born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, New York. He had worked on stage, screen and television since the days of Tin Pan Alley. In film, he wo ...

with lyrics by

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...

. Popular recordings that year were by Mildred Bailey and the

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His reco ...

Orchestra;

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

& His Orchestra (vocal by Kay Weber); and by

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

& His Orchestra (vocal by Martha Tilton).

Notable recordings

* Mildred Bailey - recorded February 10, 1938 for Brunswick Records (catalog No. 8088). *

June Christy June Christy (born Shirley Luster; November 20, 1925June 21, 1990) was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a so ...

- ''Cool Christy'' (2002). *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

- ''

Songs in a Mellow Mood ''Songs in a Mellow Mood'' is a 1954 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by the pianist Ellis Larkins. The complete album was re-issued as part of the 1994 MCA Records CD, ''Pure Ella''. Track listing Side one #"I'm Glad There Is You" ( ...

'' (1954) and the MCA release ''Ella & Ellis'' (1983). *

The Four Freshmen The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the barbershop tradition. The singers accom ...

- ''Golden Anniversary Celebrations'' (2001), ''First Affair/Voices In Fun'' (2002) *

& His Orchestra (vocal by Martha Tilton - recorded March 9, 1938 for Victor Records (catalog No. 25814). *

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

- for her album '' The Man I Love'' (1957) *

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

- included in his album '' Open Fire, Two Guitars'' (1959) *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

- '' Book of Ballads'' (1958) *

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France with

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997, born Stefano Grappelli) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the fi ...

- recorded in London on September 1, 1938 for Decca Records. *

Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...

- - recorded on October 3, 1956 for Savoy Records (catalog No.1507). *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

- '' Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First'' (1962) *

Jeri Southern Jeri Southern (born Genevieve Lillian Hering, August 5, 1926 – August 4, 1991) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Early years Born Genevieve Lillian Hering in Royal, Nebraska, United States, Southern was the granddaughter of a German pig ...

- ''A Prelude to a Kiss'' (1958). *

Rosemary Squires Rosemary Squires MBE (born Joan Rosemary Yarrow, 7 December 1928) is an English jazz, big band, cabaret and concert singer and recording artist. Her career started in 1940 with an appearance on the BBC Home Service's ''Children's Hour'', and h ...

- a single release in 1958. * Maxine Sullivan - recorded on March 1, 1938 for Victor Records (catalog No. 25802). *

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

- (1955) included in ''The Complete Pablo Group Masterpieces'' (1990) *

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

- ''

Vaughan and Violins ''Vaughan and Violins'' is a 1959 album by Sarah Vaughan, orchestrated and conducted by Quincy Jones. Reception The AllMusic review by Dave Nathan awarded the album four and a half stars and said that "these sessions catch Sarah Vaughan at he ...

'' (1958)

References

{{Authority control Songs written by Saul Chaplin Songs with lyrics by Sammy Cahn 1938 songs Mildred Bailey songs Carmen McRae songs