Lainie Kazan's Iconic 1960s Albums Finally Available for Streaming

After nearly 60 years, the timeless vocal albums of Lainie Kazan, the Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe-nominated stage and screen star, are now streaming on all digital platforms. Originally released by MGM Records in the 1960s, these collector's items, including "Right Now!," "Lainie Kazan," "The Love Album," and "Love Is Lainie," have been remastered from the original tapes and are finally available for a new generation of music lovers to enjoy.

Known for her captivating performances on Broadway and in Hollywood, Lainie Kazan's albums showcase her ravishing vocal range and exuberant personality. From beloved standards to distinguished discoveries, each track is a testament to Kazan's unparalleled talent and enduring legacy.

Produced by industry veterans such as Don Costa and Peter Daniels, these albums feature a who's who of top-shelf arrangers and producers, delivering a rich tapestry of sound that befits a star of Kazan's caliber.

"Right Now!" (1966), Lainie's debut album, sets the stage with rousing renditions of classic tunes. Opening with a dynamic "Blues in the Night," the LP features two songs from the rarely staged Harold Arlen and Truman Capote Broadway musical "House of Flowers." Kazan's haunting interpretation of the traditional folk song "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" is transformed into a tempestuous showstopper, while the album's centerpiece is a dazzling rhythmical version of Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley's "Feeling Good."

"Lainie Kazan" (1966), her second album released that year, is anchored by treasured songs from Broadway and Hollywood, including selections from "My Fair Lady" and "Meet Me in St. Louis." Notable tracks include the lively "Lark Day" co-written by The New Christy Minstrels guitarist Art Podell, and the tender ballad "(We'll Meet) In the Spring," written just for her by Peter Daniels.

"The Love Album" (1967) is the most lush and sweeping collection of the four albums. The strings echo Lainie's emotions as she dives into paeans to doomed romance like "I'm a Fool to Want You" and "If You Go Away." Notable tracks include the lightly swinging "Sweet Talk" and the sensuous delight "Take It Slow, Joe."

"Love Is Lainie" (1968) marks an appealing shift from the standards and show music of the first records to more contemporary material, all rendered with that trademark Lainie flair. Notable tracks include her bravura performance of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and the rare psychedelia entry in the Kazan canon, "Flower Child."

Lainie Kazan is the embodiment of the word "entertainer" - an artist who has reached the pinnacle in virtually every area of performance. Ms. Kazan began in the Broadway musical Funny Girl, where she played a Ziegfeld showgirl and understudied the leading lady, Barbra Streisand. She finally got her chance to perform the title role a year and a half after its Broadway opening. Lainie performed the lead role twice in one day, and received accolades that launched her extraordinary career.

Lainie has also appeared on Broadway stage in The Government Inspector, with Tony Randall; My Favorite Year, with Tim Curry (Tony Award nomination); and produced and starred in the Ethel Merman tribute, Doin' What Comes Natur'lly. Her regional credits include: A Little Night Music, The Rink, Man of La Mancha, The Rose Tattoo, Gypsy, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hello Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Orpheus Descending, Plaza Suite, and Bermuda Avenue Triangle, with Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor.

Her film credits include: My Favorite Year (Golden Globe nomination), Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart, Steven Spielberg's Harry and the Hendersons, Paul Bartel's Lust in the Dust, Delta Force, Beaches, The Cemetery Club, The Big Hit, The Associate, What's Cooking?, Bratz, Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess with the Zohan and Pixels, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 1-3. She recently appeared in Tango Shalom, the #1 indie film release of the summer in 2021.

On television, Lainie's credits include: "St. Elsewhere" (Emmy nomination), "The Paper Chase" (CableACE Award nomination), "The Nanny," "Strong Medicine," "Veronica's Closet," "Touched by an Angel," "Will & Grace," "My Big Fat Greek Life," "Boston Legal," "Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives," "Modern Family", and "Grey's Anatomy." Most recently she guest starred on "The Kominsky Method" and "Fuller House."

Lainie has performed in nightclubs, grand hotels, and concert halls around the world. She partnered with Hugh Hefner and opened "Lainie's Room" and "Lainie's Room East" at the Los Angeles and New York Playboy Clubs. In addition to the MGM recordings, she produced her most recent albums, In the Groove and Body and Soul, with David Benoit for the Music Masters label. Recently she performed to sold-out houses at Feinstein's at Vitello's in Los Angeles, 54 Below in New York, Vibrato in Bel Air, and The Purple Room in Palm Springs.

Lainie serves on the board for the Young Musicians Foundation, AIDS Project LA, and B'nai B'rith. In 2008, she had the honor of being a Grand Marshall for the Salute to Israel Parade in New York. Lainie is a graduate of Hofstra University with a B.A. in Speech and Drama, with a minor in Education. She is an adjunct professor at Hofstra University's School of Communications, where she is on the advisory board. She is also on the board of the Screen Actors Guild and The Young Musician's Society. Lainie studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and studied voice with Joseph Scott for 20 years. She also studied with Lee Strasberg for 5 years and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. Since 2012, Lainie has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she teaches the course "Acting for the Singer." In 2020, she joined the faculty of NYU, teaching an online class.