Billy eckstine parents
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Eckstine, Billy (actually, William Clarence Eckstein)
Eckstine, Billy (actually, William Clarence Eckstein), American singer and bandleader; b. Pittsburgh, July 8, 1914; d. there, March 8, 1993. With his rich bass-baritone voice and impeccable enunciation, Eckstine drew upon the influence of such crooners as Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo while taking a more jazz-oriented approach. In jazz circles he is remembered for having led a big band that contributed to the development of bebop, but he achieved his greatest popularity as a ballad singer from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s, when he recorded such hits as “My Foolish Heart/’ “I Wanna Be Loved/’ and “I Apologize/’
Eckstine grew up in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., and left college to work as a singer. By 1937 he was in Chicago, where he was invited to join the orchestra led by pianist Earl Hines. He stayed with Hines until 1943, recording such popular songs as “Jelly, Jelly” (music and lyrics by Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine) and “Stormy Monday Blues” (music and lyrics by Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, and Robert Crowder); t
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Billy Eckstine
American jazz singer and bandleader (1914–1993)
For the Canadian pianist and composer, see Willie Eckstein.
| Billy Eckstine | |
|---|---|
Eckstine, c. 1946 | |
| Birth name | William Clarence Eckstein |
| Born | (1914-07-08)July 8, 1914 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 8, 1993(1993-03-08) (aged 78) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, valve trombone, trumpet, guitar |
| Years active | 1939–1990 |
| Formerly of | The Billy Eckstine Orchestra |
Musical artist
William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993)[1] was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice.[2] In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award "for performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording". His recording of "I Apologize" (MGM, 1951) was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in
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Although best known as a popular balladeer, Billy Eckstine, an early supporter of the new music, led the first bebop band. He was born William Clarence Eckstein on July 8, 1914, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and, until he suffered a broken collar bone as a teenager, had considered a career in sports. After winning an amateur singing contest while in college at Howard University, he entered a full-time vocal career and changed the spelling of his last name.
In 1939 he joined Earl Hines’ band and learned to play trumpet. It was during this time that he met Sarah Vaughan and many of the young beboppers, among them Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie who came through the Hines band. While with Hines he had a hit with his own “Jelly, Jelly.”
In 1944 he formed his own band to back his vocals, but in hiring such personnel as Parker, Gillespie, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, and others, the group became known for its bebop-laced instrumentals and fine arrangements. Eckstine’s popular vocal recordings--hits such as “Prisoner of Love” and “Cottage for Sale”--helped to support t
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