Dianne came from a very musical family. Her father, who died when she was two years old, was also a singer. Her mother, Vada Swanson, played trumpet. A cousin, George Duke is a well known piano and keyboard player and producer.
Dianne and her sister Sharon were raised by their grandmother in Denver, Colorado. As a child Dianne took piano lessons and sang at every opportunity. When she was 11 years old her interest in music was enhanced by an inspiring teacher who thought that music was the best way to bring students together. Dianne discovered a love of music and that she wanted to be a singer.
Her uncle, Charles Burell, a bass player with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, introduced her to the music of jazz singers, from Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday. She was especially impressed by Sarah Vaughan.
1974
At the age of sixteen she was singing at the George Washington Highschool in Denver, in a highschool bigband. That same year the band played at a music festival (Convention of the National Association of Jazz Educators). Her Band won first place and it was there she met the trumpeter Clark Terry, who after discovering her became her mentor.
1975
A year later she began studying music at the University of Denver, before she moving in 1976 to Los Angeles. In L.A. her interest in Latin-American music grew, and she began experimenting with different kinds of vocal music and finally decided to pursue a career as a singer. She met Eduardo del Barrio, and she toured with his group "Caldera" and sang in Billy Child's jazz band "Night Flights". Later she tour with Sergio Mendes.
From 1983 until 1986 she toured with Harry Belafonte as a lead singer. This period saw her first experiences with world music. In 1987 she became the first vocalist to sign with Blue Note records. She moved back to Denver from Los Angeles in 1992. She sang at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
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Grammy Awards
She has currently won 3 Grammy Awards for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance" for her albums
2001 In the Moment
2002 The Calling
2003 A Little Moonlight
2006 Good Night, And Good Luck (Soundtrack)
She is the only singer to have won this Grammy in three consecutive years.
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Discography
1977 - Welcome to My Love
1987 - Better Days
1988 - I Remember
1990 - Never Too Far
1991 - Dianne Reeves (same as Better Days)
1993 - Art & Survival
1994 - Quiet After the Storm
1996 - The Grand Encounter
1996 - Palo Alto Sessions
1997 - That Day
1997 - New Morning (live)
1999 - Bridges... produced by George Duke.
2000 - In The Moment (live)
2001 - The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
2002 - Best of Dianne Reeves
2003 - A Little Moonlight
2004 - Christmas Time is Here
2005 - Good Night, And Good Luck (Soundtrack)
TV Is The Thing This Year
Dianne Reeves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you wanna have fun come home with me
You can stay all night and play with my TV
TV is the thing this year, this year
TV is the thing this year
Radio was great, now it's out of date
TV is the thing this year
My TV broke, I was in a fix
I Got on the phone, and called my man,
Said get here daddy as fast as you can
TV is the thing this year, oh
TV is the thing this year,
Radio was great, but now it's out of date
And TV is the thing this year
Now he turned my dial to channel one
I knew that this was gonna be fun
He turned my dial to channel two
That station thrilled me through and through
He moved one notch to channel three
I said oh how I love what you're doin' to me
He said, wait a minute, let's try channel four
Just about that time someone knocked on the door
TV is the thing this year, oh yes
TV is the thing this year,
Radio was great, now it's out of date
TV is the thing this year
The way he eased into channel five
That man musta had fluid drive
He moved once more to channel six
Then he opened up his bag of tricks
On channel seven the show was late
But we got our kicks on channel eight
He turned my dial to channel nine
Said Baby, your set is workin' fine
He moved on up to channel ten
Then we started all over again
He finally hit channel eleven
I cried mama, he treats your daughter so good!
TV is the thing this year, yes
TV is the thing this year
Yes radio was great, but now it's out of date
TV is the thing this year
Baby my set will need fixin' just about this time every night!
The song 'TV Is The Thing This Year' by Dianne Reeves, originally by Dinah Washington, is a tribute to the newfound obsession with television in the 1950s. The lyrics describe the excitement and allure of television, as compared to the now-outdated radio. The singer invites her companion to come home with her and watch TV all night, as TV is the new trend. The lyrics describe the different channels they watch and the excitement they feel while watching TV, as opposed to radio. The song is essentially about the shift from radio to television and how fast television became the primary mode of entertainment for the masses.
The song speaks to the rising popularity of television in the 1950s, replacing radio as the dominant form of entertainment. The lyrics reflect the shift in consumer behavior and the rising influence of mass media in shaping public opinion. In essence, the lyrics show how television was seen as something that could bring people together and unite them in a common experience, providing an escape from the monotony of everyday life. The singer even hints at the addictive nature of television, saying that "baby, my set will need fixin' just about this time every night!"
Line by Line Meaning
If you wanna have fun come home with me
Come home with me if you want to have a good time
You can stay all night and play with my TV
You can spend the night and watch my TV
TV is the thing this year, this year
Television is what's popular this year
TV is the thing this year
Television is what's popular this year
Radio was great, now it's out of date
Radio is no longer popular
TV is the thing this year
Television is what's popular this year
Last night I was watching old Tom Nix
I was watching Tom Nix on TV last night
My TV broke, I was in a fix
My TV stopped working and I was in trouble
I Got on the phone, and called my man,
I called my partner on the phone
Said get here daddy as fast as you can
I asked him to come over as soon as possible
TV is the thing this year, oh
Television is really popular this year
TV is the thing this year,
Television is really popular this year
Radio was great, but now it's out of date
Radio is no longer popular
And TV is the thing this year
Television is what's popular this year
Now he turned my dial to channel one
He changed the TV channel to one
I knew that this was gonna be fun
I was excited for what was going to happen
He turned my dial to channel two
He changed the TV channel to two
That station thrilled me through and through
I really enjoyed that TV station
He moved one notch to channel three
He changed the TV channel to three
I said oh how I love what you're doin' to me
I enjoyed what was happening on TV
He said, wait a minute, let's try channel four
He suggested changing the TV channel to four
Just about that time someone knocked on the door
Someone knocked on the door at that moment
TV is the thing this year, oh yes
Television is very popular this year
TV is the thing this year,
Television is what's popular this year
Radio was great, now it's out of date
Radio is no longer popular
TV is the thing this year
Television is what's popular this year
The way he eased into channel five
He switched the TV channel to five smoothly
That man musta had fluid drive
He changed TV channels very smoothly
He moved once more to channel six
He changed the TV channel to six
Then he opened up his bag of tricks
He did something impressive or surprising
On channel seven the show was late
The TV show was running late on channel seven
But we got our kicks on channel eight
We had fun watching TV on channel eight
He turned my dial to channel nine
He changed the TV channel to nine
Said Baby, your set is workin' fine
He said that the TV was working well
He moved on up to channel ten
He changed the TV channel to ten
Then we started all over again
We began changing TV channels again
He finally hit channel eleven
He changed the TV channel to eleven
I cried mama, he treats your daughter so good!
I was happy with the way he was treating me
TV is the thing this year, yes
Television is really popular this year
TV is the thing this year
Television is what's popular this year
Yes radio was great, but now it's out of date
Radio is no longer popular
TV is the thing this year
Television is what's popular this year
Baby my set will need fixin' just about this time every night!
My TV always seems to need fixing around this time every night
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PHIL MEDLEY, WILLIAM SANFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind