Albert George Hibbler (August 16, 1915 – April 24, 2001) was an American

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

vocalist, who sang with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

's orchestra before having several

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

hits as a solo artist. Some of Hibbler's singing is classified as

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, but he is best seen as a bridge between R&B and

traditional pop music Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standard ...

. According to one authority, "Hibbler cannot be regarded as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

singer but as an exceptionally good interpreter of twentieth-century popular songs who happened to work with some of the best jazz musicians of the time."

Early life

Hibbler was born in Tyro,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and was blind from birth. Some sources give his birth name as Andrew George Hibbler. At the age of 12 he moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, where he attended Arkansas School for the Blind, joining the school

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

. Later he began working as a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

singer in local bands, failing his first audition for

in 1935.
/ref> However, after winning an amateur talent contest in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

, he was given his start with Dub Jenkins and his Playmates; Jenkins was a popular Memphis saxophonist and bandleader. He later joined a band led by

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

in 1942, and the following year joined Ellington's orchestra, replacing Herb Jeffries.

Career

He stayed with Ellington for almost eight years, and featured on a range of Ellington standards, including " Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me", the words for which were written specifically for him and which reached #6 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

pop chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

(and #1 for eight weeks on the "Harlem Hit Parade") in 1944, "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues," and "

I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" is a 1945 song composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Mack David. Notable recordings *Al Hibbler & Duke Ellington - recorded for RCA Victor (catalog No. 20-1799) on November 26, 1945 (Ellington, Hodges, Law ...

". Although Hibbler's style was described as "mannered", "over-stated", and "full of idiosyncrasies" and "bizarre vocal pyrotechnics", he was also considered "undoubtedly the best" of Ellington's male vocalists. While with Ellington, Hibbler won the ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' New Star Award in 1947 and the '' Down Beat'' award for Best Band Vocalist in 1949. Hibbler left Ellington's band in 1951 after a dispute over his wages. He then recorded with various bands including those of

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

and

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, and for various labels including Mercury and Norgran, a subsidiary of

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

, for whom he released an LP, ''Al Hibbler Favorites'', in 1953.
In 1954 he released a more successful album, ''Al Hibbler Sings Duke Ellington'', and in 1955 in music, 1955, he started recording with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

, with immediate success. His biggest hit was "

Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film '' Unchained'' (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.Robert Rodr ...

", which reached #3 on the US pop chart, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. Hibbler's version also reached #2 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming his only chart hit in the United Kingdom. Its success led to network appearances, including a live jazz club remote on NBC's ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

''. Other hits were " He" ( 1955 in music, 1955), "11th Hour Melody" and "Never Turn Back" (both in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

). " After the Lights Go Down Low" (also in 1956) was his last top ten hit.

Activism

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Hibbler became a

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

activist, marching with protestors and getting arrested in 1959 in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

and in 1963 in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

. The notoriety of this activism discouraged major

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

s from carrying his work, but

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

supported him and signed him to a contract with his label,

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. However, Hibbler made very few recordings after that, occasionally doing live appearances through the 1990s. In 1971, Hibbler sang two songs at

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

's funeral.John A. Drobnicki, "Hibbler, Albert George ('Al')," in ''The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives,'' Vol. VI: ''2000-2002'' (Scribner's, 2004), p. 232. In 1972 he made an album, '' A Meeting of the Times'', with another fiercely independent blind musician, the multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Death and legacy

He died at Holy Cross Hospital in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

in 2001, at the age of 85. He is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in

Blue Island, Illinois Blue Island is a city in Cook County, Illinois, located approximately south of Chicago's Loop. Blue Island is adjacent to the city of Chicago and shares its northern boundary with that city's Morgan Park neighborhood. The population was 22,55 ...

Discography

Solo singles discography

Albums

* ''Sings Duke Ellington'' (Norgran, 1954) * ''Favorites'' (Norgran, 1954) * ''Melodies by Al Hibbler'' (Argo, 1956) * ''Sings Love Songs'' (Verve, 1956) * ''Starring Al Hibbler'' (Decca, 1956) * '' After the Lights Go Down Low'', (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, 1957) * ''Here's Hibbler'' (Decca, 1957) * ''I Surrender Dear'' (Score, 1957) * ''Torchy and Blue'' (Decca, 1958) * ''Al Hibbler Remembers'' (Decca, 1958) * ''Hits by Hibbler'' (Decca, 1958) * ''Sings the Blues: Monday Every Day'' (Reprise, 1961) * ''Big Boy Blues'' (Grand Prix Series, 1964) * ''Shades of Blue'' (Sunset, 1968) * '' A Meeting of the Times'' with Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Atlantic, 1972) * ''Christmas with'' (Holiday, 1981) * ''Solitude'' (Pickwick, 1997) With

* ''

Basie Jazz ''Basie Jazz'' is an album by pianist/bandleader Count Basie recorded in 1952 and released on the Clef label in 1954.Clef A clef (from French: 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical stave. Placing a clef on a stave assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines, which defines the pitc ...

MGC-633, 1954 (recordings from 1952)

Compilations

* ''The Chronological Al Hibbler 1946–1949''

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, 2002) * ''The Chronological Al Hibbler 1950–1952'' (Classics, 2003)

References

External links

*
Al Hibbler Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibbler, Al 1915 births 2001 deaths American rhythm and blues musicians Atlantic Records artists Big band singers Blind musicians Chess Records artists Decca Records artists Duke Ellington Orchestra members Musicians from Arkansas People from Tate County, Mississippi Top Rank Records artists Traditional pop music singers American male jazz musicians Aladdin Records artists Reprise Records artists 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers