Once in a while a musician comes along with impecca… Read Full Bio ↴Beegie Adair Bio
Once in a while a musician comes along with impeccable technique, deep understanding of the jazz repertoire, an innate tendency to swing and the rare ability to communicate the heart and soul of a tune to listeners. That musician is Beegie Adair.
About her music Adair says, “Falling in love with jazz is like falling in love with a person, except with jazz you never get over it.” About Beegie (say B-G) Adair, what do others say?
Jazz great Helen Merrill salutes her “inventive jazz sense, her wonderful sense of time and improvised melody.”
Christopher Louden of Jazz Times magazine says Adair is “an accomplished artist with a delicate touch.”
The Los Angeles Times calls her music “Elegant.”
Entertainment News writes, “Beegie Adair is one of the finest piano players in the world.”
Intrigued? So are thousands of jazz fans, who agree with critics about Adair’s sophisticated and listenable jazz performances, and who have made her recordings among the biggest sellers in the jazz world.
Citing George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner among her influences, Adair has recorded 24 CDs, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Centennial Composers Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic when it was released in 2002.
Kentucky born and raised, Adair lives and records in Nashville – something of a surprise to people who associate the city solely with country music. In fact Nashville lives up to its “Music City” nickname by hosting a vibrant jazz scene, in which she has been a leading light for decades. A sought-after studio musician in her early days there, Adair accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash – and also worked with Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Mama Cass Elliott and Peggy Lee.
Her guests on Improvised Thoughts, Beegie’s radio talk/music show on the local NPR affiliate, included such greats as Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson and Helen Merrill. She has guested on McPartland’s Piano Jazz show and has performed with Nat Adderley, Bill Watrous, Lew Tabackin, Terry Clarke, Urbie Green and Jim Ferguson, among many others.
When she’s not in the studio or appearing in clubs and concert halls around the country, Adair wears a variety of hats, from adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University to teacher and mentor at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Recently she co-wrote and scored an innovative theatrical production, Betsy, which in April 2006 premiered off-Broadway in New York.
She has recorded eight projects for Village Square Records in Nashville; her most recent CDs are Sentimental Journey, a popular collection of World War II-era songs, and a solo piano recording, Quiet Romance.
She performs solo and with the Beegie Adair Trio, whose members include drummer Chris Brown, a veteran of the Maynard Ferguson ensemble, and bassist Roger Spencer, who has played with the Les Brown Band, Ray Conniff, the Page Cavanaugh Trio and Pete Jolly. They are, she says, “my main guys. They’re so tuned into the way I visualize music that it’s effortless to play with them.”
In clubs and concert venues from Los Angeles to New York, Beegie and her “main guys” win kudos from audiences and critics alike who appreciate her unique take on classic jazz. She fell in love with the music a long time ago, and indeed she’s never gotten over it -- a love affair the jazz world is much the better for.
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Beegie Adair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Track twenty nine, boy you can gimme a shine
I can afford to board a Chattanooga Choo Choo
I've got my fare and just a trifle to spare
You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer
When you hear the whistle blowin' eight to the bar
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin'
Woo, woo, Chattanooga, there you are
There's gonna be a certain party at the station
Satin and lace, I used to call funny face
She's gonna cry until I tell her that I'll never roam
The song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Beegie Adair tells the story of a man who is boarding a train from Pennsylvania station to Chattanooga. The opening lines in the song ask the conductor if this is the train to Chattanooga. The man then goes on to say that he can afford to board the train and has his fare and just some extra money. The lyrics then take the listener through a journey on the train, where the man reads a magazine, has dinner in the diner, and enjoys ham and eggs in Carolina.
As the train gets closer to Tennessee, the man can hear the whistle blowing and knows he's getting closer. The lyrics also talk about the need to keep shoveling coal into the engine to keep it going. Finally, the song mentions a party at the station, and the man talks about a girl named "Funny Face" who will be there. He promises that he will never leave her, and she will stop crying.
Line by Line Meaning
Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
Excuse me, sir, is that locomotive ahead of us the Chattanooga Choo Choo train?
Track twenty nine, boy you can gimme a shine
Track number 29, youngster, can you please polish my shoes?
I can afford to board a Chattanooga Choo Choo
I have enough money to afford a ticket to ride the Chattanooga Choo Choo train.
I've got my fare and just a trifle to spare
I have paid for my transportation and have a little bit of extra money left over.
You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four
The train departs from Pennsylvania station at around 3:45 PM.
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Read a magazine during the ride and soon you'll arrive in Baltimore.
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer
Having dinner in the dining car is one of the best experiences.
Than to have your ham 'n' eggs in Carolina
Especially, having ham and eggs for dinner when the train makes a stop in Carolina is simply amazing.
When you hear the whistle blowin' eight to the bar
When you hear the loud and distinct eight-beat whistle, it means that Tennessee is near.
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
If you hear that whistle blowing, you are very close to the location of Tennessee.
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin'
It is necessary to keep shoveling coal into the train's furnace in order to keep the train moving.
Woo, woo, Chattanooga, there you are
If you keep the coal shoveling and the train rolling, you'll eventually arrive in Chattanooga.
There's gonna be a certain party at the station
A certain party will be waiting for me at the station.
Satin and lace, I used to call funny face
The party is a girl that I used to call 'funny face' due to her fashion sense and personality.
She's gonna cry until I tell her that I'll never roam
She'll be upset until I assure her that I'll never leave her again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MACK GORDON, HARRY WARREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Irene Mesquita
Beege sou sua fan. Amo seu trabalho. Deus abençoe.
Big Bad John
Superb rendition. Beegie truly breathes new life into my hometown song. Thank you for uploading.
Peter Hunt
Love Beegie wonderful music
TKR2015
I loved this clip, keep up the great work!
Pat Flynn
A Johnny Mercer great tune done so perfectly by Beegie. Try not to tap your foot to the rhythm of the song...can't be done!
Bud Lehn
I love Beegie! Great.
Gods2ndFavoriteBassPlyr
Super Clean.. Super Timing.. Super Tasteful.
Jaime Tavares
Beautiful Miguel Nice and clear,thanks for posting Jim
Stella Demattei
Lo más!!! 😆😆
German Obregon
Beegie le agrega más alegria