Liberace was a pianoforte phenom who left a unique, indelible mark on American popular music. A native-son of West Allis, Wisconsin, Wladziu Valentine Liberace was trained at the Wisconsin College of Music and expanded his craft on the 40's nightclub scene, including the prestigious Persian Room in New York's Plaza Hotel. Following stints on the big and small screens, Liberace (who, on the advice of his fellow Polish pianist Paderwski, dropped his first two names) began his long-standing relationship with Las Vegas in 1955, playing to capacity crowds at the Riviera. It was on the Vegas stages that Liberace spotlighted his eclectic taste in music, from classical to American standards to pop songs of the day.

Lounging with Lee collects some of his best excursions into pop music from the late 1960's and early-to mid- 1970's. Though most of the songs were big hits in their own right, Liberace's orchestrations - many of them arranged by Arthur Freedman or Emory Gordy with the help of Julian Lee - were so different from those of the originals that Liberace was able to make these songs his own. Listen to the sparse, hep-jazz take on the Chairman's "Strangers in the Night," the full orchestra on "Long and Winding Road," and the almost Memphis rock-'n'-soul approach on Neil Diamond's "Holly Holly/Sweet Caroline" and Steam's immortal "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." These unique performances illustrate why Liberace was Mr. Showmanship, the man whose friends called him Lee.

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