I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues is a song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Ted Koehler, published in 1932 for the Broadway revue Earl Carroll's Vanities. It quickly became a jazz and blues standard. The first recording was by Ethel Merman on September 29, 1932, backed by Nat Shilkret's orchestra, and it was followed by popular early versions from Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, and Benny Goodman in 1933–34. Since then the tune has been recorded by many artists on numerous albums, cementing its place in the jazz and blues repertoire.
