Jordon Greene

Between 1959 and 1973, viewers tuned in weekly to NBC for the latest episode of Bonanza. The beloved western, following the exploits of the Cartwright family on their Ponderosa ranch, aired for a remarkable 431 episodes and reached an estimated 400 million watchers in 87 countries. Bonanza inspired, well, a merchandising bonanza, with action figures, comic books, lunchboxes, model sets, dinnerware, and even a chain of steakhouses and a Lake Tahoe theme park.

A capable purveyor of R&B, intimate ballads, or boogie-woogie piano who sang in a high, sweet voice with soul and chutzpah similar to that of Lula Reed, Lil Green or Julia Lee, Viviane Greene made a series of fine little recordings for five different labels in San Francisco and Los Angeles between late 1947 and July 1955. This compilation claims to contain all of her recorded works with the exception of her 1962 Finer Arts material. The most dazzling tracks are without question her instrumentals, for Viviane Greene was a classically trained pianist who developed her chops working steadily at nightclubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver, Colorado.