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.
Night In Tunisia
Al Hirt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tryin' to find a warm place to spend the night
A heavy rain a fallin'
Seems I hear your voice callin'
"It's all right"
A rainy night in Georgia
A rainy night in Georgia
Neon signs a flashin'
Taxi cabs and busses passin' through the night
The distant moanin' of a train
Seems to play a sad refrain to the night
A rainy night in Georgia
A rainy night in Georgia
I believe it's rainin' all over the world
How many times I've wondered
It still comes out the same
No matter how you look at it, think of it
You just got to do your own thing
I find me a place in a box car
So I take out my guitar to pass some time
Late at night when it's hard to rest
I hold your picture to my chest
And I'm all right
A rainy night in Georgia
A rainy night in Georgia
I believe it's rainin' all over the world
The song "A Rainy Night in Georgia" is a soulful ballad written by Tony Joe White and originally popularized by Brook Benton in 1970. The heavy rain in Georgia serves as a metaphor for the singer's melancholic and hopeless state. The opening lines, "Hoverin' by my suitcase, tryin' to find a warm place to spend the night," suggest that the singer is homeless and struggling to survive. The mention of a "heavy rain a fallin'" reflects the harshness of the world and his inability to escape the rain, which represents his troubles.
The singer hears a voice that tells him "It's all right," offering a glimpse of hope amid the despair. Despite the rain, the world is still moving, and the singer hears the sounds of "neon signs a flashin', taxi cabs and busses passin' through the night." However, the distance moaning of the train seems to play a "sad refrain to the night," highlighting the singer's loneliness in the midst of a bustling world.
The chorus repeats the phrase "A rainy night in Georgia" and asserts that it is "raining all over the world," emphasizing the universality of human suffering. Despite the repetition, the singer admits that he has "wondered" many times, but "it still comes out the same." He must "do [his] own thing" and find comfort in playing his guitar and holding a picture of someone he loves.
Overall, "A Rainy Night in Georgia" is a poignant song that conveys feelings of isolation, uncertainty, and hopelessness. Through its vivid imagery and soulful melody, it draws listeners into the singer's world and offers a glimpse of the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoverin' by my suitcase
I am stuck with my suitcase, not having a fixed destination, and looking for a place to stay.
Tryin' to find a warm place to spend the night
I am wandering without a cozy spot to spend the night, hence searching for it.
A heavy rain a fallin'
The weather is bad, and it's raining heavily.
Seems I hear your voice callin', 'It's all right'
I imagine or hear your voice reassuring me that everything will turn out fine.
A rainy night in Georgia
It's a wet night in Georgia with nothing to look forward to except the rainfall.
I believe it's rainin' all over the world
I think it's raining in every corner of the world, and it's not just limited to where I am right now.
Neon signs a flashin'
Lights from neon signs are twinkling, captivating my gaze.
Taxi cabs and busses passin' through the night
Public transportations, including taxis and buses, are moving around in the city even in the middle of the night.
The distant moanin' of a train
I can hear the sound of a railway train from afar.
Seems to play a sad refrain to the night
The train's sound that I hear from far away gives a melancholic tone to the night.
How many times I've wondered
I have thought about this endless times before in my past.
It still comes out the same
No matter how much I ponder upon this, the outcome is still identical.
No matter how you look at it, think of it
The interpretation and the perception of the situation won't change regardless of how one approaches it mentally.
You just got to do your own thing
Each person should do what feels right to them, follow their heart, and live the life they want to live.
I find me a place in a box car
I discover a location in a freight train railcar, which is not an ideal place.
So I take out my guitar to pass some time
To keep myself occupied, I start playing my guitar.
Late at night when it's hard to rest
During the late hours when it's difficult to catch some sleep.
I hold your picture to my chest
I take your photograph close to my heart, reveling in the memory that comes with it.
And I'm all right
Despite my current circumstances, I feel okay.
A rainy night in Georgia
It's now a wet night in Georgia after all that has passed.
I believe it's rainin' all over the world
I still think it's raining in every corner of the world, and not just in Georgia.
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Tony White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind