PS Classics to Re-Release 1955 Charlotte Rae Album

PS Classics, the label dedicated to celebrating the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, has announced plans to release Charlotte Rae's much-loved 1955 solo album, "Songs I Taught My Mother," for the first time on CD.  The label will be releasing the disc through its nonprofit branch, PS Classics Inc., and expects an early fall release.

"A Tony- and Emmy-nominated actress best known today for her role as Mrs. Garrett on 'The Facts of Life,' Rae delighted audiences in the 1950's nightclub scene before striking gold with her performances as Mrs. Peachum in the famed 1954 production of the Threepenny Opera (music critic Olin Downes described her as 'unsurpassable') and two years later as Mammy Yokum in Li'l Abner.  She has maintained strong ties to the theatre throughout her prolific television and film career, receiving Tony nominations for her roles in Pickwick (1965) and Morning, Noon and Night (1968) and an Obie nomination for her appearance in Terrance McNally's Whiskey (1973).  Her most recent New York appearance was in this year's Encores! production of 70, Girls, 70, where her rendition of 'Go Visit Your Grandmother' brought down the house," according to PS Classics notes.

Originally issued on the Vanguard label, "Songs I Taught My Mother" was co-conceived by Rae's ex-husband, composer John Strauss, who provided all the musical settings.  "A classic of its time, it showcased the singer-actress-comedienne in a delightful and novel album composed almost entirely of specialty material."  In addition to selections written especially for Rae (including Sheldon Harnick's "Backer's Audition" and "Gabor the Merrier" and Marc Blitzstein's "Modest Maid"), it features songs by Cole Porter ("When I Was a Little Cuckoo"), Vernon Duke ("Summer Is a-Comin' In" and "The Sea-Gull and the Ea-Gull"), and John Latouche ("A Nail in the Horseshoe"), as well as the more familiar "Why Can't I?" by Rodgers and Hart.

With its upcoming release of "Songs I Taught My Mother," PS Classics affirms its commitment to the great tradition of Broadway and American popular song that begins in Tin Pan Alley and stretches all the way to today's most fresh and distinctive composers and lyricists.  Its recent releases include Sunday in the Park With George (The 2006 London Cast), the John Bucchino revue It's Only Life, and its centennial tribute to Jule Styne in Hollywood; its next release, on August 22nd, is the cast recording of Grey Gardens, starring Christine Ebersole.  

Founded in 2000 by Tommy Krasker and Philip Chaffin, PS Classics has been profiled in publications such as The New York Times for its diverse line of cast recordings (including Grammy Award-nominated albums of Assassins and Nine: The Musical); solo albums by such artists as Jessica Molaskey, Christine Andreas, Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie, and Rebecca Luker; songbook tributes to composers ranging from Billy Strayhorn to Maury Yeston to Jason Robert Brown; and, through its nonprofit division, restorations of forgotten musicals (Kay Swift's Fine and Dandy) and recordings drawn from rare sound archives, including "Sondheim Sings, Volumes I & II."  PS Classics is distributed by Image Entertainment.  Visit www.psclassics.com.  The non-profit site is located at: www.psclassics.org.