In 1928 (on his 25th birthday) Hines began leading his own big band. For over 10 years his was "The Band" in Al Capone's Grand Terrace Cafe — Hines was Capone's "Mr Piano Man". Hines recorded for Victor in 1929, then after a gap for Brunswick from 1932-1934, Decca from 1934-1935, then after another gap, Vocalion from 1937-1938 and Bluebird from 1939-1942 (nearly all among the best Black Jazz of the era). From the Grand Terrace, The Earl Hines Orchestra (or "Organization" as he more happily referred to it) broadcast on "open mikes", sometimes five nights a week and over many years, coast to coast across America — Chicago being well placed to deal with the U.S. live-broadcasting time-zone problem. Hines's band became the most broadcast band in America. Sometimes Nat "King" Cole was Hines's relief pianist (though Cliff Smalls was his favorite) and it was here with Hines that Charlie Parker got his first professional job...until he was fired for his time-keeping — by which Hines meant Parker's inability to show up on time despite Parker resorting to sleeping under the Grand Terrace stage in his attempts to do so. Hines led his big band until 1947, taking time out to front the Duke Ellington orchestra in 1944 while Duke was ill...but the big-band era was over. (Thirty years later, Hines's 20 solo "transformative versions" of his "Earl Hines Plays Duke Ellington" recorded in the 1970s were described by Ben Ratliff in the "New York Times" as "as good an example of the jazz process as anything out there".)
At the start of 1949 Hines rejoined Armstrong in the latter's "All Stars" "small band", where Hines stayed through 1951. He then led his own small combo around the States and Europe. At the start of the jazz-lean 1960s he settled in Oakland, California, opened a tobacconist's, and came close to giving up the profession. Then, in 1964 Hines was "suddenly rediscovered" following a series of concerts in New York. He was the 1965 "Critics' Choice" for Down Beat Magazine's "Hall of Fame". From then till he died he recorded endlessly both solo and with jazz notables like Cat Anderson, Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Gonsalves, Sonny Greer, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Budd Johnson, Jimmy Rushing, Stuff Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Venuti and Ben Webster. Possibly more surprising were Elvin Jones, Peggy Lee, Charles Mingus, Dinah Washington — and Ry Cooder. But his most acclaimed recordings of this period were his dazzling and endlessly inventive solo performances, which could show him at his very best, "a whole orchestra by himself".[12] Solo tributes to Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin were all put on record in the 1970s. Hines also toured Europe again regularly at this time, and added Asia, Australia and the Soviet Union to his list of State Department–funded destinations. At the top of his form, Hines also displayed his endearing quirks (not to say grunts) in these performances. Sometimes he sang as he played, especially his own "They Never Believed I Could Do It - Neither Did I". In 1975 he made an hour-long "solo" film for British TV out-of-hours in a Washington nightclub: the "New York Herald Tribune" described it as "The greatest jazz-film ever made". He played solo in The White House and played solo for the Pope — and played (and sang) his last job a few days before he died in Oakland, quite likely somewhat older than he had always maintained.
Once Upon A Time
Earl Hines Lyrics
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I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you
that looking your eyes is so
familiar a gleam
Yet I know it's true
that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
the way you did once upon a dream
But if I know you, I know what you do
You love me at once
The way you did once upon a dream
I know you,
I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you,
that looking your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true
that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once,
the way you did once upon a dream.
In Earl Hines's song "Once Upon A Time," the lyrics depict the idea of finding love in a dream. The singer sings about recognizing their lover's familiar gaze and how they once walked together in a dream. The repeating line "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream" emphasizes how certain the singer is about their connection with the other person, even if it was only in a dream. The singer acknowledges that dreams can be deceiving, but they still believe that their love interest will love them just as they did in the dream.
The lyrical content of this song is romantic and dreamlike, touching on the idea of fate and the notion of finding love in unexpected places. The singer's conviction in their connection with the other person is intense and unwavering, and the repeating lines emphasize this sentiment. The chorus's repetition is also reflective of the idea that the dream is a recurring one or that the singer has been thinking about this person for a long time.
Overall, "Once Upon A Time" is a dreamy and romantic song that touches on the themes of fate, love, and the possibilities that can come from the unexpected. The lyrics are straightforward and carry a sense of conviction that adds to the song's overall emotional impact.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you
I am familiar with you and recognize who you are.
I walked with you once upon a dream
I had a dream or experience where I walked with you before.
that looking your eyes is so familiar a gleam
I recognize the look in your eyes and it brings back a familiar feeling.
And I know it's true
I am aware that not everything is as it seems.
that visions are seldom all they seem
Dreams and visions can be deceiving and not always as they appear.
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
If I truly know you, I can predict what your actions will be.
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream
I am certain that you will fall in love with me again, just like you did in the dream we shared.
Writer(s): Kirth Anthony Atkins, Lisa Steele
Contributed by Isaac H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.