Shearing was born in the Battersea area of London, United Kingdom. Congenitally blind, he was the youngest of nine children. He started to learn piano at the age of three. After limited training and extensive listening to recorded jazz, he began playing at hotels, clubs and pubs in the London area, sometimes solo, occasionally with dance bands. In 1940, Shearing joined Harry Parry's popular band and became a star in Britain, performing for the BBC, playing with Stéphane Grappelli's London-based groups of the early 1940s, and winning seven consecutive Melody Maker polls.
In 1946, Shearing established himself in the United States. In 1955, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Leading a quintet (piano with guitar, bass, drums and vibraphone), which over the years included Cal Tjader, Margie Hyams, Denzil Best, Israel Crosby, Joe Pass and Gary Burton, Shearing had a succession of hugely popular records including September In The Rain and his own composition, Lullaby Of Birdland (1952). His style, including the joint playing of the melody by piano and vibraphone, was also widely copied, becoming part of the idiom of pop music, so that his records from that period now sound far less innovative than they did at the time. Later, Shearing played with a trio, as a solo and increasingly in duo. Among his collaborations have been sets with the Montgomery Brothers, Marian McPartland, Brian Torff, Jim Hall, Hank Jones and Kenny Davern.
In the 1970s, Shearing's profile had been lowered considerably, but upon signing with Concord Records in 1979, Shearing found himself enjoying a renaissance.
Over the years, Shearing has also collaborated with singers including Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ernestine Anderson, Carmen McRae, and most notably, Mel Tormé, with whom he performed frequently in the late 80s and early 90s at festivals, on radio and for recordings.
Recently, Shearing collaborated with the John Pizzarelli Trio to create the album The Rare Delight of You, which garnered extremely good reviews. The album cover, featuring Pizzarelli and Shearing posing in front of a solid blue background, was designed to resemble the cover of Nat King Cole Sings George Shearing Plays, a legendary jazz recording with which it shares some similarities in style.
Shearing's interest in classical music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in the 1950s and 1960s, and his solo's frequently draw upon the music of Debussy and, particularly, Erik Satie for inspiration. Shearing also made a recording with the classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell.
Shearing wrote a number of jazz arrangements of hymn tunes for the organ in collaboration with organist Dale Wood, that have been published in sheet music form.
(2) For a long stretch of time in the 1950s and early '60s, George Shearing had one of the most popular jazz combos on the planet -- so much so that, in the usual jazz tradition of distrusting popular success, he tended to be underappreciated. Shearing's main claim to fame was the invention of a unique quintet sound, derived from a combination of piano, vibraphone, electric guitar, bass, and drums. Within this context, Shearing would play in a style he called "locked hands," which he picked up and refined from Milt Buckner's early-'40s work with the Lionel Hampton band, as well as Glenn Miller's sax section and the King Cole Trio. Stating the melody on the piano with closely knit, harmonized block chords, with the vibes and guitar tripling the melody in unison, Shearing sold tons of records for MGM and Capitol in his heyday.
The wild success of this urbane sound obscures Shearing's other great contribution during this time, for he was also a pioneer of exciting, small-combo Afro-Cuban jazz in the '50s. Indeed, Cal Tjader first caught the Latin jazz bug while playing with Shearing, and the English bandleader also employed such esteemed congueros as Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, and Armando Peraza. As a composer, Shearing was best known for the imperishable, uniquely constructed bop standard "Lullaby of Birdland," as well as "Conception" and "Consternation." His solo style, though all his own, reflected the influences of the great boogie-woogie pianists and classical players, as well as those of Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell -- and fellow pianists long admired his light, refined touch. He was also known to play accordion and sing in a modest voice on occasion.
Shearing, who was born blind, began playing the piano at the age of three, receiving some music training at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London as a teenager but picking up the jazz influence from Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller 78s. In the late '30s, he started playing professionally with the Ambrose dance band and made his first recordings in 1937 under the aegis of fellow Brit Leonard Feather. He became a star in Britain, performing for the BBC, playing a key role in the self-exiled Stéphane Grappelli's London-based groups of the early '40s, and winning seven consecutive Melody Maker polls before emigrating in New York City in 1947 at the prompting of Feather. Once there, Shearing quickly absorbed bebop into his bloodstream, replacing Garner in the Oscar Pettiford Trio and leading a quartet in tandem with Buddy DeFranco. In 1949, he formed the first and most famous of his quintets, which included Marjorie Hyams on vibes (thus striking an important blow for emerging female jazz instrumentalists), Chuck Wayne on guitar, John Levy on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. Recording briefly first for Discovery, then Savoy, Shearing settled into lucrative associations with MGM (1950-1955) and Capitol (1955-1969), the latter for which he made albums with Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole. He also made a lone album for Jazzland with the Montgomery Brothers (including Wes Montgomery) in 1961, and began playing concert dates with symphony orchestras.
After leaving Capitol, Shearing began to phase out his by-then-predictable quintet, finally breaking it up in 1978. He started his own label, Sheba, which lasted for a few years into the early '70s -- and made some trio recordings for MPS later in the decade. In the '70s, his profile had been lowered considerably, but upon signing with Concord in 1979, Shearing found himself enjoying a renaissance in all kinds of situations. He made a number of acclaimed albums with Mel Tormé, raising the singer's profile in the process, and recorded with the likes of Ernestine Anderson, Jim Hall, Marian McPartland, Hank Jones, and classical French horn player Barry Tuckwell. He also recorded a number of solo piano albums where his full palette of influences came into play. He signed with Telarc in 1992 and from that point through the early 2000s continued to perform and record, most often appearing in a duo or trio setting. Shearing, who had remained largely inactive since 2004 after a fall in his New York City apartment, died of congestive heart failure at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital on February 14, 2011. He was 91. ~ Richard S. Ginell, Rovi
If You Were Mine
George Shearing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could be a ruler of kings
And if you were mine
I could do such wonderful things
I'd say to a star
Stop where you are
Light up my lover's way
Would obey, say
If you were mine
I would live for your love alone
To kneel at your shrine
I would give up all that I own
Yes even my heart
Even my life
I'd trade it all for you
And think I was lucky too
If you were mine
The lyrics of George Shearing's song If You Were Mine express a deep yearning and devotion to another person. The singer begins with the assertion that if the object of his affection were to be with him, he would be invincible, even having the power to rule over kings. This hyperbole emphasizes the tremendous impact this person has on his life, and how his world would be transformed by their love.
The chorus repeats the sentiment that with this person, the singer's life could be extraordinary. He imagines commanding a star to light up his lover's way, and even suggests that every star in the sky would obey him. This imagery is enchanting and romantic, and underscores the exalted position this person holds in his heart.
The final verse of the song highlights the extreme nature of his devotion. He declares that he would kneel at their shrine, giving up everything he owns, even his own heart and life, just to be with them. This sacrificial sentiment is simultaneously heartwarming and concerning, as it suggests an unhealthy level of attachment that could be potentially damaging. Overall, If You Were Mine is a stirring declaration of love, vividly expressing the singer's fervent desire for the person he admires.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were mine
The singer longs for the person they are addressing to belong to them.
I could be a ruler of kings
The singer feels that having the person they love would make them powerful and important.
And if you were mine
The repetition of this line emphasizes the singer's desire for the person they love.
I could do such wonderful things
The artist feels that their love for the person has the power to make them accomplish great things.
I'd say to a star
The artist speaks of grand gestures and romantic sentiments.
Stop where you are
The singer wants to ask the stars to recognize their love for the person they are addressing.
Light up my lover's way
The singer wants to express their love for the person and the light that they bring into their life.
And every star above you
The artist is again referencing the grandeur of their love, likening it to something celestial.
Would obey, say
The artist, with the grand gesture of commanding the stars, thinks that their love would be all-powerful.
If you were mine
The repetition of this line underscores the sentiment that despite how unlikely it is, the artist longs for the person they love.
I would live for your love alone
The singer is willing to devote their life completely to the person they love.
To kneel at your shrine
The artist uses this religious reference to describe the importance of the person they love in their life.
I would give up all that I own
The singer is willing to sacrifice everything they have for the person they love.
Yes even my heart
The singer is willing to give up everything they have including the things they hold most dear.
Even my life
The singer is willing to die for the person they love, emphasizing the depth and intensity of their feelings.
I'd trade it all for you
The artist is committed completely to their love for the person, and is willing to do anything for them.
And think I was lucky too
The artist feels lucky to have the opportunity to love the person as much as they do, even if it can never be fully realized.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY MERCER, MATT MALNECK, MATTY MALNECK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Willis
Love the piece, and love the way Shearing adds his gentle and melodic touch! :)
Lois Drummer
This is what I heard playing in the house growing up . . . wonderful memories
João B. Rocca Filho
Brilliant! We miss you so much!
Mark Eisenman
Neil is great, and so is Shearing
Janet E. Smith
The problem with playing this piece as an instrumental is that 75% of the punch is lost because the lyrics are lost
Realizing this is Shearings tent, may I suggest listening to Streisand’s vocal. The lyrics are very good.
https://youtu.be/r2808C5f1XM
Janice Friedman
I love knowing the lyrics and hearing them in my head while I listen to an instrumental. You can tell he knows them! Beautiful rendition here.
ThePupilpoint
Is there anywhere I can buy the piano score for this beautiful song?
Misha Segal
It doesn't get more than that