Austin was born as Lemeul Eugene Lucas in Gainesville, Texas (north of Dallas), to Nova Lucas (died 1943) and the former Serena Belle Harrell (died 1956). He took the name "Gene Austin" from his stepfather, Jim Austin, a blacksmith. Austin grew up in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, located east of Shreveport. There he learned to play piano and guitar. He ran away from home at fifteen and attended a vaudeville act in Houston, where the audience was allowed to come to the stage and sing. On a dare from his friends, Austin took the stage and sang for the first time since singing as a Southern Baptist choir boy. The audience response was overwhelming, and the vaudeville company immediately offered him a billed spot on their ticket.
Austin joined the U.S. Army at the age of 17 in hopes of being dispatched to Europe to fight in World War I. He was first stationed in New Orleans, where he played the piano at night in the city's notorious vice district. His familiarity with horses from helping his stepfather in his blacksmithing business also prompted the Army to assign Austin to the cavalry and send him to Mexico with General John Pershing's Pancho Villa expedition, for which he was awarded the Mexican Service Medal. Thereafter, he served in France in the Great War.
On returning to the United States in 1919, Austin settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he intended to study dentistry. Soon, however, he was playing piano and singing in local taverns. He started writing songs and formed a vaudeville act with Roy Bergere, with whom he wrote "How Come You Do Me Like You Do." The act ended when Bergere married. Austin worked briefly in a club owned by Lou Clayton, who later was a part of the famous vaudeville team Clayton, Jackson and Durante. RCA Victor bought his popular song "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street." In the next decade with RCA, Austin sold over 80 million records -- a total unmatched by a single artist for 40 years. Best sellers included "The Lonesome Road," "Riding Around in the Rain," and "Ramona."
Arriving with the advent of electrical recording technologies (earlier, acoustical technologies had been used) Austin soon gave birth to the "crooner" form (a clear light tenor) of singing of the 20's and 30's, taking over from the more sentimental style of tenor vocals popularized by such singers as Henry Burr and Billy Murray. Such later crooners as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Russ Columbo all credited Austin with creating the musical genre that began their careers. Gene Austin became enormously popular in the late 1920s. His recording of "My Blue Heaven" sold over 12 million records and until Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" replaced it as the largest selling record of all time.
Offered to work in Hollywood at the height of his career as the "Voice of the Southland", Austin appeared in three films, "Belle of the Nineties" (1934), "Klondike Annie" (1936) and "My Little Chickadee" (1940), at the request of his personal friend, Mae West.
Gene Austin married his first wife, Kathryn Arnold, a dancer, in 1924 and divorced her in 1929. They had a child, Ann, born in 1928. Austin married his second wife, Agnes Antelline, in 1933, and their daughter Charlotte was born that same year. He and Agnes divorced in 1940. Austin then married actress Doris Sherrell in 1940, and divorced her in 1946. He married wife number four, LouCeil Hudson, a singer, in 1949, and the marriage lasted until 1966. Austin married Gigi Theodorea in 1967; this was his fifth and final marriage.
In 1956, CBS made a television drama about Austin's life.
In 1962, Austin campaigned unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor of Nevada. He polled only 5,017 votes (10.21 percent) to his opponent, Grant Sawyer, who received 40,168 ballots (81.4 percent) Sawyer then won the governorship by a nearly 2-1 margin over weak Republican opposition in the fall campaign.
Austin had retired to Palm Springs, California, in the late 1950s and had been active in civic boards there until 1970. Income from his record sales allowed him to live comfortably the rest of his life. He died in Palm Springs of lung cancer and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
In 1978, Gene Austin was posthumously awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for his 1928 recording of Bye, Bye, Blackbird, which has long been considered recorded music's definitive rendition of that song.
In 2005, Gene Austin was nominated and admitted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Jeannine
Gene Austin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tells me that waiting is ended
Springtime is here, soon you′ll be near
When all our heartaches are mended
Once more in happiest places
Close in my arms' fond embraces
Jeannine, I dream of lilac time
Your winning smile
And cheeks blushing like a rose
Yet all the while
You sigh while nobody knows
Jeannine, I dream of lilac time
When I return I′ll make you mine
For you and I
Our love can never die
Jeannine, I dream of lilac time
The song "Jeannine I Dream of Lilac Time" by Gene Austin is a romantic song that describes a sense of hope, longing, and anticipation. The sweet and seductive scent of lilac, which is mentioned in the first line, signifies the arrival of spring and the end of waiting. The singer of the song is waiting for his lover, Jeannine, to be near him again. He dreams of the happiest times he spent with her, holding her close in his arms. He admires her beauty, her winning smile, and her cheeks blushing like a rose. However, he also notices that Jeannine sighs when nobody knows. Despite this, the singer dreams that when he reunites with Jeannine, he will make her his forever, and their love will never die.
The song's focus on lilac time is significant because lilacs only bloom for a short period of time in late spring, making them a symbol of fleeting beauty and ephemeral love. Additionally, referring to lilac time emphasizes how precious these moments are, as the singer and Jeannine cannot be together all year round. The song's overall tone is romantic and optimistic, and it portrays love as something that can conquer distance and heartache.
Overall, "Jeannine I Dream of Lilac Time" is a love song that emphasizes the importance of appreciating moments of happiness with loved ones and treasuring memories of them during times apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Lilacs in bloom, rarest perfume
The sweet fragrance of the blooming lilacs indicates that the waiting period is over
Tells me that waiting is ended
The fragrance of lilacs tells me that the time of waiting is over
Springtime is here, soon you'll be near
Spring has arrived and soon you will be here with me
When all our heartaches are mended
Spring brings hope of healing our heartaches
Once more in happiest places
We will be together again in our happiest moments
Close in my arms' fond embraces
We will embrace each other lovingly, cherishing the moment
Jeannine, I dream of lilac time
I long for the moments we spent together surrounded by blooming lilacs
Your eyes they gleam in lilac time
Your beautiful eyes sparkle in the light of the lilac blossoms
Your winning smile
Your beautiful smile that wins my heart
And cheeks blushing like a rose
Your beautiful rosy cheeks that make me blush
Yet all the while
Despite your beauty
You sigh while nobody knows
You hide your sadness and sigh where nobody can see
When I return I'll make you mine
I promise to make you mine when I return to you
For you and I
Our love is strong
Our love can never die
And our love will always remain strong
Writer(s): Nathaniel Shilkret, L. Wolfe Gilbert
Contributed by Emily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Trombonology Erstwhile
Who could fail to be transported to a quieter, calmer, more peaceful realm by this lovely record? One of my favorite Gene sides.
Trombonology Erstwhile
@beiderbecke1927 Oh, wow ... great story! There's a talent that has always fascinated me -- alas, from afar. it may not be spontaneous composition per se, but I've always imagined that the silent film accompanists would have to be tremendously attuned and sensitive, in addition, of course, to possessing at least some musical ability (although these artists are sometimes comic figures in film).
Diana Anderson
My sister was named Jenine because my mom loved this song. She heard it often as a little kid born in the early 20's.
Spencer Smith
This, for me, is the best version of the song. Austin was impeccable in his style and delivery...he never got in the way of the music.
Jeanine Marie
My grandma used to sing this to me! ❤
The Backrooms
Their Story Is Lost
Steve Spartan Alt
their story is lost
The Backrooms
@Steve Spartan Alt that's what I meant