William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) 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. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously awarded the

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achiev ...

"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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, 1951) was given the

Grammy Hall of Fame Award The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1999. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described him as an "influential band leader" whose "suave bass-baritone" and "full-throated, sugary approach to popular songs inspired singers such as Earl Coleman,

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer, known for his rich baritone voice and recordings of ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. ...

, Joe Williams,

Arthur Prysock Arthur Prysock Jr. (January 1, 1924 According to his obituary in ''The New York Times'', "his heavy, deep voice projected a calm, reassuring virility." Life and career Prysock was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Many sources give his birt ...

, and

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...

Early life and education

Eckstine was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States, the son of William Eckstein, a chauffeur, and Charlotte Eckstein, a seamstress. Eckstine's paternal grandparents were William F. Eckstein and Nannie Eckstein, a mixed-race, married couple who lived in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

; both were born in 1863. William was born in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(now Germany), and Nannie in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Billy's sister, Maxine, was a high school teacher. Eckstine attended Peabody High School in Pittsburgh. Other notables who were educated there include the artist

Romare Bearden Romare Bearden (, ) (September 2, 1911 – March 12, 1988) was an American artist, author, and songwriter. He worked with many types of media including cartoons, oils, and collages. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bearden grew up in New York C ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, pianist Dodo Marmarosa and

Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in t ...

. During this time, Eckstine moved to Washington, D.C., attending Armstrong High School (where his sister taught), St. Paul Normal and Industrial School, and

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

. In 1933, aged 19, he left Howard to start a music career, after winning first place and $10 in an amateur talent contest at Washington's

Howard Theatre The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., has been a pillar of the community since its opening in 1910. This historic venue, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, show ...

, where he imitated

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

singing a nursery rhyme with interpolated scatting.

Career

Heading to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Eckstine joined

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

' Grand Terrace Orchestra in 1939, staying with the band as vocalist and trumpeter until 1943. By that time, Eckstine had begun to make a name for himself through the Hines band's juke-box hits, such as " Stormy Monday Blues", and his own "Jelly, Jelly". In 1944, Eckstine formed his own big band, and it became the finishing school for adventurous young musicians who would shape the future of jazz including

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

, Cecil Payne,

Fats Navarro Theodore "Fats" Navarro (September 24, 1923 – July 7, 1950) was an American jazz trumpet player and a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. A native of Key West, Florida, he toured with big bands before achieving fa ...

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano sa ...

, John Malachi,

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer, comedian and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in '' St. Louis Woman'' in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the ti ...

, and

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

Tadd Dameron Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dameron was the most influential arranger of the bebop era, but also wrote charts for swi ...

Gil Fuller Walter Gilbert "Gil" Fuller (April 14, 1920, Los Angeles, California – May 26, 1994, San Diego, California) was an American jazz arranger. He is no relation to the jazz trumpeter and vocalist Walter "Rosetta" Fuller. In the 1930s and 1940s, F ...

and Jerry Valentine were among the band's arrangers. The Billy Eckstine Orchestra is considered to be the first bebop big-band, and had Top Ten chart entries that included " A Cottage for Sale" and " Prisoner of Love". Both were 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 ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Dizzy Gillespie, in reflecting on the band in his 1979 autobiography ''To Be or Not to Bop'', gives this perspective: "There was no band that sounded like Billy Eckstine's. Our attack was strong, and we were playing

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

, the modern style. No other band like this one existed in the world." In 1946 Eckstine starred as the hero in the musical film ''

Rhythm in a Riff ''Rhythm in a Riff'' is a 1947 medium-length musical film produced by William D. Alexander and directed by Leonard Anderson. The film stars Billy Eckstine and his band performing, as well as Ann Baker, Hortense Allen Jordan, Sarah Harris, and Em ...

'', which also starred

Ann Baker Anna Rose Baker (July 23, 1930 – March 2, 2017) was an American actress, known for her appearance in classic films and television shows during the 1950s. Early years Born Anna Rose Baker, Baker was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Baker, ...

and

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing music, swing and rhythm and blues, rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang ...

. Eckstine became a solo performer in 1947, with records featuring lush, sophisticated orchestrations. Even before folding his band, Eckstine had recorded solo to support it, scoring two million-sellers in 1945 with " Cottage for Sale" and a revival of " Prisoner of Love". Far more successful than his band recordings, these prefigured Eckstine's future career. Eckstine would go on to record over a dozen hits during the late 1940s. He signed with the newly established

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

, and had immediate hits with revivals of " Everything I Have Is Yours" (1947),

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart's ...

's "

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

" (1948), and

Juan Tizol Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's big band, and for writing the jazz standards " Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdido". ...

's "

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

" (1949). Eckstine had further success in 1950 with

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...

's theme song to " My Foolish Heart", and the next year with a revival of the 1931

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

hit, " I Apologize". According to ''The New York Times'', his 1950 appearance at the Paramount Theatre in New York City drew a larger audience than

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

had done at his performance there. He was even called "the sepia Sinatra" for his rivalry of the country's most popular vocalist. Eckstine was the subject of a three-page profile in the April 24, 1950 issue of ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine, in which the photographer Martha Holmes accompanied Eckstine and his entourage during a week in New York City. One photograph taken by Holmes and published in ''Life'' showed Eckstine with a group of white female admirers, one of whom had her hand on his shoulder and her head on his chest while she was laughing. Eckstine's biographer, Cary Ginell, wrote of the image that Holmes "...captured a moment of shared exuberance, joy, and affection, unblemished by racial tension". Holmes would later describe the photograph as the favorite of the many she had taken in her career, because it "...told just what the world should be like". The photograph was considered so controversial that an editor at ''Life'' sought personal approval from

Henry Luce Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967) was an American magazine magnate who founded ''Time'', ''Life'', '' Fortune'', and ''Sports Illustrated'' magazines. He has been called "the most influential private citizen in the Amer ...

, the magazine's publisher, who said it should be published. The publication of the image caused letters of protest to be written to the magazine, and singer

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

subsequently said of the publication that "When that photo hit, in this national publication, it was if a barrier had been broken". The controversy that resulted from the photograph had a severe effect on the trajectory of Eckstine's career.

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

would recall that "It changed everything...Before that, he had a tremendous following...and it just offended the white community", a sentiment shared by pianist

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the a ...

who said that the "coverage and that picture just slammed the door shut for him". In 1951, Eckstine performed at the seventh Cavalcade of Jazz concert held on July 8 at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

in Los Angeles, produced by

Leon Hefflin, Sr. Leon Norman Hefflin Sr. (August 17, 1898 – November 20, 1975) was a pioneering African-American producer, director, business owner, furniture manufacturer, and entrepreneur. After losing his large and successful manufacturing business in the De ...

Also featured were

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

and his Revue,

Percy Mayfield Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He was also a songwriter, known for the songs "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song f ...

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...

, Joe Liggins and The Honeydrippers and Roy Brown. Among Eckstine's recordings of the 1950s was a 1957

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

with Sarah Vaughan, "

Passing Strangers "Passing Strangers" is Ultravox's second single from ''Vienna'', the band's first album with Midge Ure, released on Chrysalis Records on 10 October 1980. A fast-paced guitar track recalling early John Foxx-era Ultravox, Passing Strangers ultima ...

", a minor hit for them in 1957, but an initial No. 22 success in the UK Singles Chart. The 1960

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

live album, ''

No Cover, No Minimum ''No Cover, No Minimum'' is a live album by Billy Eckstine that was recorded in Las Vegas. The album was released by Roulette in 1960 and reissued by Blue Note in 1992 with ten additional tracks. Track listing # "Have a Song on Me" (Billy Eck ...

'', featured Eckstine taking a few trumpet solos and showcasing his nightclub act. He recorded albums for Mercury and Roulette in the early 1960s and appeared on Motown albums during the mid to late years of the decade. After recording sparingly during the 1970s for Al Bell's

Stax Stax can refer to: * StAX, (Computer Programming) Streaming API for reading and writing XML in Java * Stax Ltd, a Japanese brand of electrostatic headphones * Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, ...

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

imprint, the international touring Eckstine made his last recording, the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-nominated ''Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter'' in 1986. Eckstine made numerous appearances on television variety shows, including on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'', ''The

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Show'', ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'' with

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...

Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, writer, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's ob ...

, and

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...

, ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...

'', ''The

Art Linkletter Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of '' House Party'', which ran on CBS radio ...

Show'', ''The

Joey Bishop Joseph Abraham Gottlieb (February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007), known professionally as Joey Bishop, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a Talk ...

Show'', ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

'', ''

The Flip Wilson Show ''The Flip Wilson Show'' is an hour-long variety show that originally aired in the US on NBC from September 17, 1970, to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs ...

'', and ''

Playboy After Dark ''Playboy After Dark'' is an American television show hosted by Hugh Hefner. It aired in syndication through Screen Gems from 1969 to 1970 and was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. Overview ''Playboy After Dark'' followed much the s ...

''. He also performed as an actor in the television sitcom ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom from 1962 to ...

'', and in such films as ''Skirts Ahoy'', ''Let's Do It Again'', and ''Jo Jo Dancer''. He performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 4 of the

1979 World Series The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and the Am ...

at Three Rivers Stadium in his native Pittsburgh. Culturally, Eckstine was a fashion icon. He was famous for his "Mr. B. Collar" – a high roll collar that formed a "B" over a Windsor-knotted tie (or without a tie at all). The collars were worn by many a hipster in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1984, Eckstine recorded his penultimate album, ''I Am a Singer'', arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo and featuring

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and wh ...

on harmonica. In November 1986, Eckstine recorded with saxophonist

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

for his 1987 album '' Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter''. Eckstine made his final recordings for

Motorcity Records Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists. History Levine, a Motown fan since his childhood in the 1960s, was offered a chance to recor ...

, a label for ex-Motown artists founded by

Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, DJ, and prominent Doctor Who fan. A populariser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG, he has co-written and co-produced records with sa ...

Personal life

He married his first wife June in 1942. After their divorce in 1952, he married actress and model Carolle Drake in 1953, and they remained married until his death. He was the father of four children by his second marriage including Ed Eckstine, a president of

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

;

Guy Eckstine Guy Eckstine is an artist manager and record producer, also known for his tenure as A&R executive at Columbia Records, and Verve Records. Eckstine's work as a music producer has earned 4 Grammy Awards and 7 nominations, including with jazz keyboard ...

, a Columbia and

Verve Records Verve Records is an active 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, Ca ...

A&R executive and record producer; and singer Gina Eckstine.

Illness and death

Eckstine suffered a stroke while performing in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1858 ...

, in April 1992, and never performed again. Although his speech improved in the hospital, Eckstine had a heart attack and died nearly a year later on March 8, 1993, in Pittsburgh, aged 78. In the weeks leading up to his death, his family members played music for him in his room. His final word was "Basie". A State Historical Marker was placed at 5913 Bryant Street in Pittsburgh's Highland Park neighborhood to mark the house where Eckstine grew up. BillyEcksteinHistoricalMarker

Tributes

His friend

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

recalled Eckstine's artistry in his 1973 autobiography ''Music is My Mistress'':

Eckstine-style love songs opened new lines of communication for the man in the man-woman merry-go-round, and blues a la B were the essence of cool. When he made a recording of "Caravan", I was happy and honored to watch one of our tunes help take him into the stratosphere of universal acclaim. And, of course, he hasn't looked back since. A remarkable artist, the sonorous B. ... His style and technique have been extensively copied by some of the neocommercial singers, but despite their efforts, he remains out front to show how and what should have been done.

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

made several live appearances and impersonated Eckstine. Eckstine was a pallbearer at Davis' funeral in 1990. And, in ''

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 advertis ...

'' magazine,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

stated:

I looked up to Mr. B as an idol. I wanted to dress like him, talk like him, pattern my whole life as a musician and as a complete person in the image of dignity that he projected.... As a black man, Eckstine was not immune to the prejudice that characterized the 1950s.

Jones is quoted in

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

's book ''The Pleasures of Jazz'' as also saying of Eckstine:

If he'd been white, the sky would have been the limit. As it was, he didn't have his own radio or TV show, much less a movie career. He had to fight the system, so things never quite fell into place."
->

said:

He was one of the greatest singers of all time.... We were proud of him because he was the first Black popular singer singing popular songs in our race. We, the whole music profession, were so happy to see him achieve what he was doing. He was one of the greatest singers of that era.... He was our singer."

Discography

10" LP releases

* 1940: ''Earl Hines – Billy Eckstine'' ecord 1: "Stormy Monday Blues" // "Water Boy"; Record 2: "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" // "Somehow"; Record 3: "Jelly, Jelly" // "Skylark"(RCA Victor) 3x78rpm album set * 1949: ''Billy Eckstine Sings'' (

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

) – recorded 1945–1947 * 1950: ''Songs By Billy Eckstine'' (

) * 1951: ''Billy Eckstine Favorites'' (MGM) * 1952: ''Love Songs By Rodgers and Hammerstein'' (MGM) * 1953: ''Billy Eckstine Sings Tenderly'' (MGM) * 1953: ''

– Billy Eckstine: A Treasury Of Immortal Performances'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

) – recorded 1940–1942 * 1953: ''The Great Mr. B: Billy Eckstine and His All-Star Band'' ( DeLuxe/King) – recorded 1944 * 1954: ''I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart: Billy Eckstine Sings 8 Great

Songs'' (MGM) * 1954: ''Blues For Sale'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by Bob Shad for the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Cli ...

) * 1954: ''The Love Songs of Mr. B'' (EmArcy)

12" LP releases

* 1955: ''I Surrender, Dear'' (EmArcy) * 1955 ''Mr. B With a Beat'' (MGM) – with

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing (13 August 191914 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 so ...

Quintet,

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American 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. Its roo ...

Orchestra, and The Metronome All Stars. * 1955: ''Rendezvous'' (MGM) * 1955: ''That Old Feeling'' (MGM) * 1957: ''Prisoner of Love'' (

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

) * 1957: ''The Duke, The Blues and Me!'' (Regent) * 1957: ''My Deep Blue Dream'' (Regent) * 1958: ''You Call It Madness'' (Regent) * 1958: ''

Billy Eckstine's Imagination ''Imagination'' is a 1958 album recorded by Billy Eckstine. It was released under the EmArcy label. Track listing # "It Was So Beautiful" ( Arthur Freed, Harry Barris) # " I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) # ...

'' (EmArcy) * 1958: '' Billy Eckstine & Sarah Vaughan Sing Irving Berlin'' ( Mercury) * 1958: ''

Billy's Best! ''Billy's Best!'' is a 1958 studio album by American jazz and blues singer Billy Eckstine. The album was released by Mercury Records, his first for the label. Arranged and conducted by Henry Mancini and Pete Rugolo, the lush, romantic arrangeme ...

'' (Mercury) * 1959: '' Basie and Eckstine, Inc.'' with

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16- to 18-piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 19 ...

(

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

) * 1960: ''

'' (Roulette) * 1960: ''

Once More With Feeling Once More with Feeling may refer to: Film and television * "Once More, with Feeling" (''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''), a musical episode of the American TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' * ''Once More, with Feeling!'', a 1960 film starring Yul ...

'' (Roulette) * 1961: ''Mr. B In Paris'' (Felsted/Decca K Barclay

rance Rance may refer to: Places * Rance (river), northwestern France * Rancé, a commune in eastern France, near Lyon * Ranče, a small settlement in Slovenia * Rance, Wallonia, part of the municipality of Sivry-Rance ** Rouge de Rance, a Devonian ...

rec. 1957–1958; all 12 songs sung in French * 1961: ''

Broadway, Bongos and Mr. B ''Broadway, Bongos and Mr. B'' is a 1961 studio album by the American singer Billy Eckstine. It was arranged by Hal Mooney, and marked Eckstine's return to Roulette Records. The album features Latin tinged arrangements of popular Broadway show t ...

'' (Mercury) * 1962: '' At Basin St. East'' with

(Mercury) * 1962: '' Don't Worry 'Bout Me'' (Mercury) * 1963: '' The Golden Hits of Billy Eckstine'' (Mercury) – compilation * 1963: '' Now Singing In 12 Great Movies'' (Mercury) * 1964: '' The Modern Sound of Mr. B'' (Mercury) * 1965: '' The Prime of My Life'' (

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

) * 1966: ''

My Way "My Way" is Paul Anka's English-language lyrical adaptation of the French song " Comme d'habitude", released by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The original song was written by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François, and was first recor ...

'' (Motown) * 1969: ''For Love of Ivy'' lso released as ''Gentle On My Mind''(Motown) * 1971: ''Stormy'' (Enterprise/

) * 1971: ''Feel the Warm'' (Enterprise/Stax) * 1971: ''Moment'' (

Capitol Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to: Places and buildings Legislative building * United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C. * National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá * Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela * National Ca ...

) * 1972: '' Senior Soul'' (Enterprise/Stax) * 1974: ''If She Walked Into My Life'' (Enterprise/Stax) * 1979: ''Momento Brasiliero'' (Portuguese import release on Som Livre label) * 1984: ''I Am a Singer'' (Kimbo) * 1986: '' Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter'' with special guest:

Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1929) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording ''Helen Merrill (album), Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown on EmArcy), was an immediate success and associat ...

(

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

)

LP/CD compilations of note

* 1960: ''Mr. B: The Great Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra'' (Audio Lab) – 12" LP reissue of ''The Great Mr. B'' from DeLuxe/King. * 1963: ''Billy & Sarah'' – with Sarah Vaughan (Lion) – compilation * 1971: ''Billy Eckstine Together'' (Spotlite) – 1945 live "radio broadcast" recordings * 1979: ''Billy Eckstine Sings'' (

Savoy Jazz Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

) – compilation * 1986: ''Mister B. and the Band: The Savoy Sessions'' (Savoy Jazz) – compilation * 1986: ''I Want To Talk About You'' ( Xanadu) – this compilation features Eckstine's earliest recordings, 13 selections taken from his 1940–1942

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...

sides with the Earl Hines Orchestra; album is rounded out by three ballads taken from a 1945 live "radio broadcast" with his own big band. * 1991: '' Everything I Have Is Yours: The Best Of The MGM Years'' (Verve) – two-CD anthology with 42 tracks (note: the original 2-LP set was issued in 1985 with just 30 tracks) * 1991: ''Compact Jazz: Billy Eckstine'' (Verve) – compilation * 1994: ''Jazz 'Round Midnight: Billy Eckstine'' (Verve) – compilation * 1994: ''Verve Jazz Masters (Volume 22): Billy Eckstine'' (Verve) – compilation * 1996: ''Air Mail Special'' (Drive Archive) – reissue of the 1945 live "radio broadcast" recordings. * 1996: ''The Magnificent Mr. B'' (Flapper/Pearl) – anthology/compilation of material recorded with Earl Hines (for the Bluebird label), and Eckstine's recordings with his orchestra (for the DeLuxe and National labels). * 1997: ''The Chronological Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra 1944–1945'' (

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

) – anthology/compilation * 1999: ''The Chronological Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra 1946–1947'' (Classics) – anthology/compilation * 2001: ''Mr. B'' (ASV/Living Era) – anthology/compilation * 2002: '' Timeless Billy Eckstine'' (Savoy Jazz) – compilation * 2002: ''The Legendary Big Band 1943–1947'' (Savoy Jazz) – two-CD anthology (all of Eckstine's recordings for the DeLuxe and National labels). * 2003: ''Kiss of Fire'' (Sepia) – compilation (contains 25 tracks recorded 1947–1952 for the MGM label). * 2003: ''The Motown Years'' (Motown/UMe) – two-CD anthology * 2004: ''Love Songs'' (Savoy Jazz) – compilation * 2004: ''A Proper Introduction To Billy Eckstine: Ballads, Blues and Bebop'' (

Proper Proper may refer to: Mathematics * Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact * Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...

) – anthology/compilation * 2005: ''Jukebox Hits 1943–1953'' (Acrobat) – anthology/compilation * 2005: ''Early Mr. B: 1940–1953'' (Jazz Legends) – anthology/compilation of material recorded with Earl Hines (for the Bluebird label), and Eckstine's recordings with his orchestra (for the DeLuxe, National and MGM labels). * 2006: ''Prisoner of Love: The Romantic Billy Eckstine'' (Savoy Jazz) – this is a reissue of ''Timeless Billy Eckstine''. * 2008: ''All of My Life'' (

Jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

) – two-CD anthology (contains 35 tracks recorded for the MGM label; also includes all 10 of his 1956 RCA recordings; and 10 of his 1957–1958 Mercury recordings).

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eckstine, Billy 1914 births 1993 deaths 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American trombonists 20th-century American trumpeters Activists for African-American civil rights African-American crooners American bass-baritones American jazz bandleaders American jazz singers American jazz trombonists American jazz trumpeters American male guitarists American male jazz musicians American male trombonists American male trumpeters American people of Prussian descent American big band bandleaders DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members Enterprise Records artists Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Guitarists from Pennsylvania Howard University alumni Jazz musicians from Pittsburgh Mercury Records artists MGM Records artists Motown artists RCA Victor artists Saint Paul's College (Virginia) alumni Singers from Pennsylvania Traditional pop music singers Verve Records artists

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Illness and death

Tributes

Discography

10" LP releases

12" LP releases

LP/CD compilations of note

References

Archives

External links