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.
Peg O' My Heart
Earl Hines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love you, don't let us part
I love you, I always knew it would be you
Since I heard your lilting laughter
It's your Irish heart I'm after
Peg o'my heart
Your glances make my heart say "How's chances?"
Come, be my own, come make your home in my heart
The lyrics to the song "Peg O' My Heart" by Earl Hines speak of a deep and profound love that the singer has for someone named Peg. The singer expresses his love and desire for Peg, stating that he knew from the moment he heard her laughter that he wanted her in his life. The singer references Peg's Irish heritage, expressing his admiration for her culture and her heart. The lyrics are a heartfelt plea for Peg to come into the singer's life and make a home in his heart.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was actually written as a ballad in 1913 by Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher, with the original lyrics being slightly different. The song was later popularized in the 1940s by the band The Harmonicats, with a revised arrangement that included a harmonica solo. The song has since been covered by numerous artists, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. Another interesting fact is that the song was used in the 1922 film of the same name, which was a romantic drama about a young woman named Peg who falls in love with a man named Jerry.
The chords to "Peg O' My Heart" are as follows: G, Em, A7, D7, G, B7, Em, A7, D7, G.
Line by Line Meaning
Peg o'my heart
My beloved, my love interest
I love you, don't let us part
I have strong feelings for you and want to be with you forever
I love you, I always knew it would be you
My affection for you has been constant and I always felt like we were meant to be together
Since I heard your lilting laughter
Ever since I heard your charming laugh, I have been drawn to you
It's your Irish heart I'm after
I am enamored with your Irish heritage and the qualities that come with it
Peg o'my heart
My beloved, my love interest
Your glances make my heart say "How's chances?"
When you look at me, my heart races with hope and anticipation that we could be together
Come, be my own, come make your home in my heart
Please be mine and let me love you, let us make a home together in each other's hearts
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alfred Bryan, Fred Fisher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind