Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big band, then as the first romantic Black male in popular music. An influence looming large in the cultural development of soul and R&B singers from Sam Cooke to Prince, Eckstine was able to play it straight on his pop hits "Prisoner of Love," "My Foolish Heart" and "I Apologize." Born in Pittsburgh but raised in Washington, D.C., Eckstine began singing at the age of seven and entered many amateur talent shows. He had also planned on a football career, though after breaking his collar bone, he made music his focus. After working his way west to Chicago during the late '30s, Eckstine was hired by Earl Hines to join his Grand Terrace Orchestra in 1939. Though white bands of the era featured males singing straight-ahead romantic ballads, Black bands were forced to stick to novelty or blues vocal numbers until the advent of Eckstine and Herb Jeffries (from Duke Ellington's Orchestra).
Though several of Eckstine's first hits with Hines were novelties like "Jelly, Jelly" and "The Jitney Man," he also recorded several straight-ahead songs, including the hit "Stormy Monday." By 1943, he gained a trio of stellar bandmates -- Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan. After forming his own big band that year, he hired all three and gradually recruited still more modernist figures and future stars: Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Fats Navarro, and Art Blakey, as well as arrangers Tadd Dameron and Gil Fuller. The Billy Eckstine Orchestra was the first bop big-band group, and its leader reflected bop innovations by stretching his vocal harmonics into his normal ballads. Despite the group's modernist slant, Eckstine hit the charts often during the mid-'40s, with Top Ten entries including "A Cottage for Sale" and "Prisoner of Love." On the group's frequent European and American tours, Eckstine also played trumpet, valve trombone, and guitar.
Though he was forced to give up the band in 1947 (Gillespie formed his own bop big band that same year), Eckstine made the transition to string-filled balladry with ease. He recorded more than a dozen hits during the late '40s, including "My Foolish Heart" and "I Apologize." He was also quite popular in Britain, hitting the Top Ten there twice during the '50s -- "No One But You" and "Gigi" -- as well as several duet entries with Sarah Vaughan. Eckstine returned to his jazz roots occasionally as well, recording with Vaughan, Count Basie, and Quincy Jones for separate LPs, and the 1960 live LP No Cover, No Minimum featured him taking a few trumpet solos as well. He recorded several albums for Mercury and Roulette during the early '60s (his son Ed was the president of Mercury), and he appeared on Motown for a few standards albums during the mid-'60s. After recording very sparingly during the '70s, Eckstine made his last recording (Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter) in 1986. He died of a heart attack in 1993.
© John Bush /TiVo
-
Without a Song
Vocal Jazz - Lançado por G Point Entertainment System em 26 de dez. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prelude to a Kiss
Jazz - Lançado por Orange Leisure em 28 de mar. de 2011
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ain't Like That Vol 4
Jazz - Lançado por Documents em 2 de set. de 2005
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Billy Eckstine Collection, Vol. 2
Jazz - Lançado por Lumi Entertainment em 1 de jan. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Essential Collection
Billy Eckstine, Count Basie Orchestra & Sarah Vaughan
Jazz - Lançado por School of Jazz Records em 8 de mai. de 2015
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
United Colors of Jazz
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Lançado por Amra Record em 6 de jun. de 2014
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Easy Jazz
Jazz - Lançado por J For Jazz Records em 16 de mai. de 2014
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Legends
Jazz - Lançado por Grand Hits Records em 17 de jan. de 2014
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Like Wow
Jazz - Lançado por All Time Records em 25 de abr. de 2014
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Collection
Jazz - Lançado por President Jazz Records em 12 de jul. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Pearls
Jazz - Lançado por Jazz 2 Jazz Records em 14 de jun. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Cup of Jazz
Jazz - Lançado por President Jazz Records em 16 de ago. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Stars of Jazz
Jazz - Lançado por All Time Records em 23 de ago. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prisoner of Love
Jazz - Lançado por Silver Classics em 12 de set. de 2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Billy and Sarah
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Lançado por Past Classics Jazz em 1 de jan. de 2010
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Billy Eckstine
Pop - Lançado por Past Classics em 9 de jul. de 2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Love You
Jazz - Lançado por Diamond Days em 5 de mai. de 2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100% Billy Eckstine, Vol. 1
Jazz - Lançado por Diamond Days em 5 de mai. de 2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100% Billy Eckstine, Vol. 2
Jazz - Lançado por Diamond Days em 5 de mai. de 2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100% Billy Eckstine, Vol. 3
Jazz - Lançado por Diamond Days em 5 de mai. de 2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Jazz Ballads
Jazz - Lançado por Retro Style Records em 25 de mar. de 2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo