Bostic was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He turned professional at age 18 when he joined Terrence Holder's band. He made his first recording with Lionel Hampton in 1942 where he played along with Red Allen, J.C. Higginbotham, Sid Catlett, Teddy Wilson and Hampton. Before that he performed with Fate Marable on New Orleans riverboats. Bostic graduated from Xavier University in New Orleans. He worked with territory bands as well as Arnett Cobb, Hot Lips Page, Rex Stewart, Don Byas, Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk and other jazz luminaries. He formed his own band in 1945, and turned to rhythm and blues in the late 1940s. His biggest hits were "Temptation," "Sleep," "Flamingo," "You Go to My Head" and "Cherokee." At various times his band included Jaki Byard, John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, Tommy Turrentine, Keter Betts, Sir Charles Thompson, Teddy Edwards, Tony Scott, Benny Carter and other musicians who rose to prominence in jazz. Bostic held his musicians to a high standard and demanded that they read music faultlessly. He was influenced by the great Sidney Bechet. John Coltrane in turn was influenced by Earl Bostic. James Moody said that Bostic was the chief influence on John Coltrane. Moody mentioned that "Bostic knew his instrument inside out, back to front and upside down."
His virtuosity is documented in records such as Up There In Orbit, Earl's Imagination, Apollo Theater Jump, All On, Artistry by Bostic, Telestar Drive, Liza, Lady Be Good and Tiger Rag. Bostic was a master of the blues and he used this skill in a variety of musical settings. Although Bostic recorded many commercial albums, some notable jazz based exceptions on the King label include Bostic Rocks Hits of the Swing Age, Jazz As I Feel It and A New Sound.
Bostic's King album titled Jazz As I Feel It featured Shelly Manne on drums, Joe Pass on guitar and Groove Holmes on organ. Bostic recorded the King Album "A New Sound" about one month later again, featuring Holmes and Pass. These recordings allowed Bostic to stretch out beyond the 3 minute limit imposed by the 45 RPM format. Bostic was pleased with the sessions which highlight his total mastery of the blues but they also foreshadowed musical advances that were later evident in the work of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy.
He wrote arrangements for Paul Whiteman, Louis Prima, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Artie Shaw, Jack Teagarden and Alvino Rey.
Bostic's signature hit, "Flamingo" was recorded in 1951 and remains a favorite among followers of Carolina Beach Music in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Their style of Beach Music is heavily influenced by Rhythm-and-Blues music from the 40's, 50's and 60's. Bostic recorded for Cincinnati-based King Records, a small label that was well known for releasing "R and B" and Bluegrass records. In fact, the biggest star on the King label was "the Godfather of Soul", James Brown. Bostic was also popular among R&B and jazz followers in the United Kingdom, thanks to his records that were released on the Parlophone label.
Bostic died from a heart attack in Rochester, New York, while performing with his band in 1965. His widow, Hildegarde, was still living in San Francisco as of the mid-1990s.
Embraceable You
Earl Bostic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Embrace me, you irreplaceable you!
Just one look at you
My heart grew tipsy in me,
You and you alone
Bring out the gypsy in me!
Above all, I want my arms about you!
Don't be a naughty baby,
Come to papa, come to papa, do!
My sweet embraceable you!
The lyrics of Earl Bostic's "Embraceable You" are a romantic love song in which the singer expresses his deep affection and desire for his significant other. The song starts with the singer pleading his lover to embrace him, calling her sweet and irreplaceable. He then goes on to reveal that just one look at her makes his heart tipsy and brings out the gypsy in him, indicating the wild and adventurous side of his personality that only she can awaken.
He confesses his love for all the charming things about her but above all, he wants to have his arms around her. He playfully asks his lover not to be a naughty baby and to come to him. The phrase "come to papa" is a term of endearment indicating his readiness to embrace her. In summary, the song is about the powerful attraction and desire that the singer feels towards his lover, and his dream of holding her close in his arms.
Line by Line Meaning
Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you!
Hold me tight, my dear one-of-a-kind love!
Embrace me, you irreplaceable you!
Wrap your arms around me, you unique and invaluable person!
Just one look at you
From the very first glance,
My heart grew tipsy in me,
My heart raced and I felt intoxicated,
You and you alone
No one else but you,
Bring out the gypsy in me!
Awaken my wild and carefree nature!
I love all, the many charms about you!
I adore all the endearing qualities you possess!
Above all, I want my arms about you!
But most of all, I desire to hold you tightly in my embrace!
Don't be a naughty baby,
Please don't act mischievous,
Come to papa, come to papa, do!
Come close to me, my love, please!
My sweet embraceable you!
You, my darling, are so irresistible to hold!
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
daniel hamada
Mr. Bostic was the sax man that got me to learn to play the sax..I just fell in Love with his technique, beautiful patterns!
Henk Gloudemans
The Earl of Bostic ,The Count of Basie and The Duke of Ellington !!!!!! What a great High society !!!!!
Henri de Lagardère
Oct 8, 1954 - Eldridge Morris - tp; Earl Bostic - as; Benny Golson - ts; Stash O'Laughlin - p; Jimmy Shirley - g; George Tucker - b; Granville Hogan - dr; Teddy Charles - vib. "Embraceable You" - George Gershwin (music) & Ira Gershwin (words)
Teddy Charles (April 13, 1928 – April 16, 2012) was an American jazz musician and composer, whose instruments were the vibraphone, piano, and drums.
Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, United States, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music as a percussionist. Later he began to record and made personal appearances as Teddy Cohen with bands as a vibraphonist, writing, arranging, and producing records. In 1951, he changed his last name to Charles.
Charles was one of many jazz musicians who hung out at an apartment building at 821 Sixth Avenue, in New York City, known as the Jazz Loft rented by photographer and artist David X. Young, who in turn sublet two apartments to Hall Overton (Charles's mentor) and Dick Cary.
Known as an innovator, Charles's main work was recorded in the 1950s, with polytonal albums such as New Directions, Collaboration: West, Word from Bird, and The Teddy Charles Tentet. He was a studio musician for Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Shelly Manne, Earl Bostic and Dion. From the mid-1950s onwards, Charles worked primarily as a record producer. He was also a co-leader of the Prestige Jazz Quartet. He recorded an album, Live at the Verona Jazz Festival, for Soul Note in 1988.
Charles was captain of the 1906 wooden schooner Mary E he purchased in 1973 and restored, and later captained the boat Pilgrim out of Greenport, New York (on the North Fork of Long Island) and performed music locally. In his last years, he began performing again after spending some years at sea. His last recording was the 2011 collaboration with Wily Bo Walker and Danny Flam featuring the song "You Don't Know What Love Is".
Teddy Charles died of heart failure in 2012, aged 84.
Jimmy Shirley (1913-1989) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist who recorded from the 1940s to the 1970s. He was an early exponent of the electric guitar and was one of the first to use the Vibrola vibrato arm in recordings, such as "Jimmy’s Blues" (1945).
While growing up in Cleveland, he was taught guitar by his father. In 1937 he moved to New York City and spent four years with the Clarence Profit Trio. In 1940 he recorded with Wingy Carpenter. He worked with Ella Fitzgerald from 1942–1943 and with Phil Moore and Herman Chittison. During the 1940s, he recorded with Clyde Bernhardt, Sid Catlett, Sidney De Paris, Edmond Hall, John Hardee, Coleman Hawkins, Art Hodes, Billie Holiday, James P. Johnson, Pete Johnson, Billy Kyle, and Ram Ramirez.
Beginning in the 1950s, Shirley played less swing guitar, more blues, jump blues, and rock and roll. He recorded or accompanied singers Wynonie Harris, Jimmy Rushing, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Little Willie John, Rose Murphy and Barbara Lea. He also played with Earl Bostic. He performed in Europe during the 1970s, recorded the album Steff and Slam with Stéphane Grappelli and Slam Stewart, and China Boy (Black and Blue, 1975), his only album as a leader.
George Andrew Tucker (December 10, 1927, in Palatka, Florida – October 10, 1965, in New York City) was an American jazz double-bassist.
Tucker attended the New York Conservatory of Modern Music, studying bass in the late 1940s. Early in his career he played with Earl Bostic, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean. He worked in the house bands of several lauded New York jazz venues, such as the Continental Lounge, The Playhouse, and Minton's; he played with Earl Bostic, Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Horace Parlan, Booker Ervin, Jerome Richardson, and Junior Mance during this time. In 1958, he recorded with Melba Liston on her jazz classic, Melba Liston and Her 'Bones. In 1960–61 he recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Parlan, Ervin, Dexter Gordon, and Shirley Scott, and in 1962–63 he toured with the trio of Dave Lambert, John Hendricks and Yolande Bavan. Near the end of his life Tucker recorded with Coleman Hawkins and Jaki Byard.
George Tucker died from a cerebral hemorrhage while performing with guitarist Kenny Burrell.
Wilbert Granville Thodore Hogan Jr., also known as G. T. Hogan, (January 16, 1929 – August 7, 2004) was an American jazz drummer. He used both Granville and Wilbert professionally, and is credited variously with names and initials on albums.
Born in Galveston, Texas, Hogan played saxophone in high school and then switched to drums. He played with Earl Bostic from 1953 to 1955, before moving to New York City. Over the course of his career he played with Randy Weston, Kenny Drew, Kenny Dorham, Ray Charles, Elmo Hope, Earl Bostic, Bud Powell and Walter Bishop Jr. He was less active as a musician after the 1970s, and suffered from emphysema in the 1990s. Granville Hogan died on August 7, 2004, in San Antonio, Texas.
Henk Gloudemans
Thank you for the name of the personel and fore the Biography's of Teddy Charles, Jimmy Shirley and George Andrew Tucker and G.T. Hogan ! And ofcourse for the year of the record !!!! Greetings from your always faithful Henk !!!!!
Dan Prettyman
if you lived it you enjoyed it great memories love my past
Dan Prettyman
@Henk Gloudemans music is to enjoy my pleasure my friend
Henk Gloudemans
Thank you, Dan !!!!!!