Hirt was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of a police officer. At the age of six, he was given his first trumpet, which had been purchased at a local pawnshop. He would play in the Junior Police Band with the children of Alcide Nunez, and by the age of 16, Hirt was playing professionally, often with his friend Pete Fountain. During this time, he was hired to play at the local horse racing track, beginning a six-decade connection to the sport.
In 1940, Hirt went to Cincinnati, Ohio, to study at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with Dr. Frank Simon (a former soloist with the John Philip Sousa Orchestra). After a stint as a bugler in the United States Army during World War II, Hirt performed with various swing big bands, including those of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Ina Ray Hutton.
In 1950, Hirt became first trumpet and featured soloist with Horace Heidt's Orchestra. After spending several years on the road with Heidt, Hirt returned to New Orleans working with various Dixieland groups and leading his own bands. Despite Hirt's statement years later "I'm not a jazz trumpeter and never was a jazz trumpeter", he made a few recordings where he demonstrated his ability to play in that style, during the 1950s with bandleader Monk Hazel, and a few other recordings on the local Southland Records label.
Hirt's virtuoso dexterity and fine tone on his instrument soon attracted the attention of major record labels and he signed with RCA Victor. Hirt posted twenty-two albums on the Billboard charts in the 1950s and 1960s. The albums Honey in the Horn and Cotton Candy were both in the Top 10 best sellers for 1964, the same year Hirt scored a hit single with his cover of Allen Toussaint's tune "Java" (Billboard No. 4), and later won a Grammy Award for the same recording. Both Honey in the Horn and "Java" sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.
Hirt's Top 40 charted hit "Sugar Lips" in 1964 would be later used as the theme song for the NBC daytime game show Eye Guess, hosted by Bill Cullen and originally airing from January 1966 to September 1969.
Hirt was chosen to record the frenetic theme for the 1960s TV show The Green Hornet, by famed arranger and composer Billy May. Thematically reminiscent of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee, it showcased Hirt's technical prowess. The recording again gained public attention in 2003 when it was used in the film Kill Bill.
From the mid-1950s to early 1960s, Hirt and his band played nightly at Dan's Pier 600 at the corner of St. Louis and Bourbon Street. The club was owned by his business manager, Dan Levy, Sr.
Al Hirt club on the corner of Bourbon Street and St Louis in the French Quarter, 1977
In 1962 Hirt opened his own club on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, which he ran until 1983. He also became a minority owner in the NFL expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967.
In 1962, in an effort to showcase him in a different musical setting, Hirt was teamed with arranger and composer Billy May and producer Steve Sholes to record an album titled Horn A Plenty that was a departure from the Dixieland material that he was generally associated with. Covering an eclectic variety of popular, standard and show tunes, it featured a big-band supplemented by timpani, French horns and harp. He also appeared opposite Troy Donahue and Suzanne Phlesette in the 1962 motion picture, "Rome Adventure."
In 1965, he hosted the hour-long television variety series Fanfare, which aired on CBS as a summer replacement for Jackie Gleason and the American Scene Magazine.
Hirt starred along with the University of Arizona marching band at the first Super Bowl halftime show in 1967.
On February 8, 1970, while performing in a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, Hirt was injured while riding on a float. It is popularly believed that he was struck in the mouth by a thrown piece of concrete or brick. Factual documentation of the details of the incident is sparse, consisting primarily of claims made by Hirt after the incident. Whatever the actual cause of his injuries, Hirt underwent surgery and made a return to the club scene. This incident was parodied in a Saturday Night Live skit from their second season Mardi Gras special, the "Let's Hit Al Hirt in the Mouth with a Brick Contest".
In 1987, Hirt played a solo rendition of "Ave Maria" for Pope John Paul II's visit to New Orleans. He is referred to in the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, in a broadcast made by Lieutenant Hauk (Bruno Kirby).
Hirt died of liver failure at the age of 76, after having spent the previous year in a wheelchair due to edema in his leg. He was survived by his wife, Beverly Essel Hirt, and six children from a previous marriage.
Indiana
Al Hirt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear music in the air
Up above my head
There's a melody so bright
And there I can hear when I'm all alone
Even in those times I feel all hope is gone
Up above my head
Up above my head
I hear angels singing
There must be a G-d somewhere
There must be a G-d somewhere
2x
(ad lib)
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
I hear music everywhere (everywhere)
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
5x
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
There must be a G-d somewhere (some where far beyond the clouds)
There must be a G-d somewhere (some where far beyond the moon)
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
There must be a G-d somewhere (somewhere)
The lyrics to Al Hirt's song Indiana describe the singer's experience of hearing music and feeling hope in times of despair. The opening lines, "Up above my head / I hear music in the air," create a sense of transcendence, as if the music is coming from above rather than from a physical source. The repetition of the phrase "Up above my head" reinforces this idea. The use of the word "melody" suggests a particular musical theme or tune rather than just a general sound. The fact that the singer can hear this melody "when I'm all alone / Even in those times I feel all hope is gone" implies a personal connection to the music and a sense of reassurance and comfort.
The second verse introduces the idea of "joy bells ringing" and "angels singing," further emphasizing the spiritual and religious overtones of the song. The repeated refrain "There must be a G-d somewhere" reinforces this idea and adds a sense of searching, almost as if the singer is trying to convince themselves of the existence of a higher power. The use of the word "somewhere" suggests uncertainty and the need for faith.
Overall, the lyrics to Indiana are optimistic and uplifting, with a strong spiritual component. The idea of music as a source of comfort and hope is a recurring theme throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Up above my head
Overhead
I hear music in the air
I can hear music in the sky.
Up above my head
Overhead
There's a melody so bright
A lively tune is playing
And there I can hear when I'm all alone
Though alone, the music is ever present
Even in those times I feel all hope is gone
The music provides a glimmer of hope in the darkest days
Up above my head
Overhead
I hear joy bells ringing
Hearing bells of joy
Up above my head
Overhead
I hear angels singing
Angels singing overhead
There must be a G-d somewhere
God exists
There must be a G-d somewhere
There is a God
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
Music can be heard in the sky
I hear music everywhere (everywhere)
Music is heard all around
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
God exists
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
God exists
There must be a G-d somewhere (some where far beyond the clouds)
God might be beyond the clouds
There must be a G-d somewhere (some where far beyond the moon)
God might be beyond the moon
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
There is a God
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
God exists
There must be a G-d somewhere (there must be a G-d somewhere)
God exists
There must be a G-d somewhere (somewhere)
God must be present somewhere
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LARRY CLINTON, JAMES F. HANLEY, BALLARD MACDONALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind