Eckstine was an American jazz singer and bandleader who also played trumpet, valve trombone, and guitar. He also performed briefly as Billy X. Stine. His nickname was Mr. B. Although best known as a singer, his openness to new music made him a strong influence on modern jazz, particularly bebop, as he gave employment to many of the musicians who founded the style.
After singing with the Earl Hines band from 1939 to 1943 he led his own band from 1944 to 1947. The band featured at various times a large number of rising jazz stars, including:
Saxophones: Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Lucky Thompson, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, Budd Johnson, Leo Parker
Trumpets: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Fats Navarro
Drums: Art Blakey
Singers: Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan
Eckstine later formed an octet, then went solo, becoming a popular ballad singer while remaining an important figure in jazz. His huge, distinctive baritone made him one of the first African American singers to have mainstream success. He was the composer of the blues classic "Jelly, Jelly" and also recorded the R&B top hit "Stormy Monday Blues" in 1942 (not to be confused with T-Bone Walker's 1947 "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)"). Most of his success as a singer came with ballads, including "Everything I have is Yours", "Blue Moon", "Caravan," "Prisoner of Love," "You Go to My Head," and "That Old Black Magic". His last hit was "Passing Strangers", a duet with Sarah Vaughan released in 1957.
Eckstine was a style leader and noted sharp dresser. He designed and patented a high roll collar that formed a B over a Windsor-knotted tie, which became known as a Mr. B. Collar. In addition to looking cool, the collar expanded and contracted without popping open, which allowed his neck to swell while playing his horns. The collars were worn by many a hipster in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
In 1984, Eckstine recorded his final album, I Am A Singer, featuring beautiful ballads arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo.
Secret love
Billy Eckstine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lived within the heart of me
All too soon my secret love,
Became impatient to be free
So I told a friendly star,
The way that dreamers often do
Just how wonderful you are,
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
Even told the golden daffodils
At last my hearts an open door,
And my secret love's
No secret anymore.
The lyrics to Billy Eckstine's song "Secret Love" capture the feelings of a person who once had a hidden love that they could not reveal. The lyrics are beautifully written and convey a sense of longing and anticipation that is typical of a love that cannot be expressed. The song speaks of a love that is kept in the heart and is not revealed until it becomes too strong to be contained any longer. The singer tells of how he shared his love with the stars and how he expressed his admiration for his beloved.
The first verse of the song speaks of the singer's secret love that he kept hidden within his heart. He tells of how this love became too strong to contain and how he longed to express it. In the second verse, the singer speaks of speaking to a friendly star in order to express his love. The song continues to express the singer's feelings of love and how he wishes to shout it from the highest hills.
Overall, the lyrics to "Secret Love" capture the emotions of a person who is in love but is unable to express it. The song conveys a sense of longing and anticipation that is common to many who have been in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a secret love,
There was a time when I kept my love for someone else hidden away
That lived within the heart of me
My love was deep and it stayed hidden within me
All too soon my secret love,
As time went on, I couldn't keep my feelings to myself any longer
Became impatient to be free
My love grew stronger and I felt the need to express it openly
So I told a friendly star,
I confided in something that I believed would keep my secret safe
The way that dreamers often do
I shared my innermost feelings with the star, as if it were a dream
Just how wonderful you are,
I expressed how amazing the person I loved truly was
And why I'm so in love with you
I explained why I had fallen deeply in love with them
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
Now that I've revealed my love, I am not afraid to shout it from the rooftops
Even told the golden daffodils
I shared my love with even the smallest and most inconsequential things around me
At last my hearts an open door,
My heart is no longer closed off, but open to the person I love
And my secret love's
The love that I had kept hidden for so long
No secret anymore.
Is no longer a secret, but out in the open for everyone to see
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nick Zoohowza
on Jelly, Jelly
The “meaning” of Jelly Jelly seems to have been written by ChatGPT. Surely “jelly”, like “jelly roll” was intended in this song to refer to sex/genitalia, and not something to spread on toast.
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on Kiss Of Fire
Absolutely Absolutely Absolutely Amazing Grace his voice was"GOD"gift to us class jazz lovers listeners u'dig now can you dig dat baby,baby from da'conductor nelfoster from chocolate cle city ohio chocolate rocks...