Harry James was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a traveling circus. By age 10 he was taking trumpet lessons from his father. His father had him on a very strict practicing schedule every day. He was given one page to learn out of the Arban's book (a trumpet drill book) every day and could not do anything until he learned that page.
In 1931 the family settled in Beaumont, Texas and James began playing with local dance bands. James joined the nationally popular Ben Pollack in 1935. At the start of 1937 he left Pollack to join Benny Goodman's orchestra, where he stayed through 1938.
In February of 1939 Harry James debuted his own big band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He continued touring with the band into the 1980s. His was the first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. In 1943 he married actress Betty Grable.
His first wife was ex B.Goodman singer.,Louise Tobin.
You can hear his trumpet playing in the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn, dubbing Kirk Douglas. His recording of "I'm Beginning to See the Light" appears in the motion picture My Dog Skip (2000). James recorded many popular records and appeared in many Hollywood movies.
In 1983, James was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, but he continued to work, playing his last professional job on 26 June 1983 in Los Angeles just nine days before his death in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bye Bye Blues
Harry James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never dreamed that it could be
But now I realize since I saw you smile
There's only happiness for me
So
Bye bye blues
Bye bye blues
Birds sing
Sun is shining
No more pining
Just we two
Smiling thru
Don't sigh
Don't cry
Bye bye blues
Blues
The lyrics of the song Blues by Harry James & His Orchestra showcase the theme of sudden happiness and joy after a heartbreak. The chorus starts with the singer stating that they had been pretty surprised seeing their loved one smile, and it was an unexpected turn of events. They had never thought that they would see them smile again, and it is only after seeing it that they realized how much they had missed it. However, now that they have seen their loved one smile, there is only happiness for them. The singer then bids goodbye to the blues and all the sadness and pain that came with it.
The next stanza starts with the sound of bells ringing, birds singing, and the sun shining, indicating a new day full of hope and promise. The singer now has no reason to yearn or feel sorrowful as they have their loved one by their side. They declare that they will now smile through all their troubles and will not cry anymore. The chorus repeats the phrase ‘Bye bye blues’ to emphasize the change in their emotions and outlook towards life and love.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a big surprise when I saw you smile
When you smiled, I felt a sudden and unexpected wave of happiness
I never dreamed that it could be
I never thought that something as simple as a smile could bring me so much joy
But now I realize since I saw you smile
I now understand that your smile has the power to make me truly happy
There's only happiness for me
I feel that my life is full of joy and positivity because of your smile
So
Therefore, as a result of your smile
Bye bye blues
I am saying goodbye to my sadness and negative emotions
Bells ring
The world seems to be full of joy and celebration
Birds sing
Even nature seems to be celebrating our happiness
Sun is shining
The sun seems to be shining more brightly because of our happiness
No more pining
I am no longer yearning for something that I cannot have
Just we two
We are the only ones who matter in this moment of happiness
Smiling thru
We are both smiling and enjoying each other's company
Don't sigh
There is no reason to feel sad or disappointed anymore
Don't cry
There are no more tears to shed, only joy and happiness
Bye bye blues
We are leaving behind all of our negative emotions and embracing the happiness we feel
Blues
The negative emotions and sadness that we are leaving behind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BERT LOWN, FREDERICK L HAMM, DAVID BENNETT, CHAUNCEY GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Péter Piece
What a trumpet line up', and solo. So much dinamic change and great break.
Eugene Fagnano
He wrote' Feet draging blues' It is one of the best.Try and find it.I wore out my 45.
Edward James
@reginaldo1200 me too, I have his LP "Live at Hollywood Palladium" (1954). And also Buddy Rich on drums, I think there's no trumpets players like Harry and his amazing style. Greetings from Indonesia. :)