Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer… Read Full Bio ↴Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer, popular in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. While still in her early teens, she left home to pursue a singing career with the Leo Reisman band. Her career was temporarily interrupted by a fall while horseback riding. Wiley suffered temporary blindness, but recovered, and at the age of 19 was back with Reisman again, with whom she recorded three songs: "Take It From Me," "Time On My Hands," and her own composition, "Got The South In My Soul." She sang with Paul Whiteman and later, the Casa Loma Orchestra. A collaboration with composer Victor Young resulted in several songs for which Wiley wrote the lyrics, including "Got The South in My Soul" and "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere," the latter an R&B hit in the 1950s.
In 1939, Wiley recorded eight Gershwin songs on 78s with a small group for Liberty Music Shops. The set sold well and was followed by 78s dedicated to the music of Cole Porter (1940) and Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart (1940 and 1954), Harold Arlen (1943), and 10" LPs dedicated to the music of Vincent Youmans and Irving Berlin (1951). The players on these recordings included Bunny Berigan, Bud Freeman, Max Kaminsky, Fats Waller, Billy Butterfield, Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, Stan Freeman, Cy Walter, and the bandleader Jess Stacy, to whom Wiley was married for a number of years. These influential albums launched the concept of a "songbook" (often featuring lesser-known songs), which was later widely imitated by other singers.
Wiley's career made a resurgence in 1950 with the much admired ten-inch album Night in Manhattan. In 1954, she opened the very first Newport Jazz Festival accompanied by Bobby Hackett. Later in the decade she recorded two of her finest albums, West of the Moon (1956) and A Touch of the Blues (1957). In the 1960s, Wiley retired, although she acted in a 1963 television film, Something About Lee Wiley, which told her life story. The film stimulated interest in the singer. Her last public appearance was a concert in Carnegie Hall in 1972 as part of the New York Jazz Festival, where she was enthusiastically received.
Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. While still in her early teens, she left home to pursue a singing career with the Leo Reisman band. Her career was temporarily interrupted by a fall while horseback riding. Wiley suffered temporary blindness, but recovered, and at the age of 19 was back with Reisman again, with whom she recorded three songs: "Take It From Me," "Time On My Hands," and her own composition, "Got The South In My Soul." She sang with Paul Whiteman and later, the Casa Loma Orchestra. A collaboration with composer Victor Young resulted in several songs for which Wiley wrote the lyrics, including "Got The South in My Soul" and "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere," the latter an R&B hit in the 1950s.
In 1939, Wiley recorded eight Gershwin songs on 78s with a small group for Liberty Music Shops. The set sold well and was followed by 78s dedicated to the music of Cole Porter (1940) and Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart (1940 and 1954), Harold Arlen (1943), and 10" LPs dedicated to the music of Vincent Youmans and Irving Berlin (1951). The players on these recordings included Bunny Berigan, Bud Freeman, Max Kaminsky, Fats Waller, Billy Butterfield, Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, Stan Freeman, Cy Walter, and the bandleader Jess Stacy, to whom Wiley was married for a number of years. These influential albums launched the concept of a "songbook" (often featuring lesser-known songs), which was later widely imitated by other singers.
Wiley's career made a resurgence in 1950 with the much admired ten-inch album Night in Manhattan. In 1954, she opened the very first Newport Jazz Festival accompanied by Bobby Hackett. Later in the decade she recorded two of her finest albums, West of the Moon (1956) and A Touch of the Blues (1957). In the 1960s, Wiley retired, although she acted in a 1963 television film, Something About Lee Wiley, which told her life story. The film stimulated interest in the singer. Her last public appearance was a concert in Carnegie Hall in 1972 as part of the New York Jazz Festival, where she was enthusiastically received.
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Follow Your Heart
Lee Wiley Lyrics
's Wonderful 'S wonderful, 's marvellous, that you should care for me 'S…
A Ship Without a Sail I don't know what day it is, Or if it's dark…
All I Remember Is You Any time, any day, anywhere, Say the word, You'll be heard, …
Body and Soul See that train coming round the bend, Carrying the one that…
But Not For Me They're writing songs of love, but not for me A lucky…
Careless Love Love, oh love, oh careless love You've fly through my head…
Down to Steamboat Tennessee In the morning, baby, just for a day, Someone will get…
Down With Love Down with love the flowers and rice and shoes Down…
Easy Come, Easy Go Easy come, easy go, that's the way, If love must have…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Find Me a Primitive Man Now, before this modern idea had burst About the women and…
Fools Fall In Love Why do I allow my heart to make decisions for…
Got the South in My Soul When the dark night starts fallin' And the moon starts to…
Heatwave Oh! We're having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave The tempera…
How Long Has This Been Going On? I could cry salty tears Where have I been all…
I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues I got a right to sing the blues I got a…
I'll Follow My Secret Heart I'll follow my secret heart My whole life through I'll kee…
I've Got a Crush on You How glad the many millions of Annabelles and Lillians Would …
I've Got Five Dollars Well I've been working hard the whole week and now I'm…
I've Got You Under My Skin I've got you under my skin I've got you deep in…
It's Only a Paper Moon I never feel a thing is real When I'm away…
Let's Fly Away Let's fly away And find a land that's warm and tropic, Where…
Manhattan Summer journeys To Niagara And to other places Aggravate all…
My Funny Valentine Behold the way our fine feathered friend His virtue doth pa…
My Heart Stood Still I took one look at you That's all I meant to…
My Romance My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the…
Someone to Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Stormy Weather Don't know why There's no sun up in the sky Stormy weather S…
Street of Dreams Midnight, you heavy laden, it's midnight Come on and trade i…
Tea for Two I'm discontented with homes that I've rented So I have inve…
The Man I Love When the mellow moon begins to beam Every night I dream…
Time on My Hands When the day fades away into twilight The moon is my…
You Do Something to Me You do something to me Something that…
You Took Advantage of Me When a girl has the heart of a mother It must…