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.
Moonglow
Harry James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must have been moonglow that led me straight to you
I still hear you sayin', "Dear one, hold me fast"
And I keep on prayin', "Oh Lord, please let this last"
We seemed to float right through the air
Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere
I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you
It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue
It must have been moonglow that led me straight to you
I still hear you sayin', "Sweet child, hold me fast"
And I keep on prayin', "Oh Lord, please let this last"
We seemed to float right through the air
Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere
And now when there's moonglow, way up in the blue
I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you
The lyrics of Harry James's song 'Moonglow' talk about how the romantic moonlit night led him to the love of his life. The opening lines suggest that it was the moonglow in the sky that had led him to her. The singer reminisces about how the night was enchanted with a sense of magic and wonder, and how his lover had asked him to hold her fast while he prayed for this beautiful experience to last forever. The lyrics describe a feeling of floating through the air, while divine songs seemed to be coming from everywhere.
The whole song is beautifully written to convey the sense of enchantment and wonder that comes with the moonlit night. The love-struck lyrics highlight the emotional journey of a person who is fascinated by someone and is head over heels in love. The singer's emotions convey the sentiment that he would always remember the night when the beautiful moonglow led him to his true love.
Line by Line Meaning
It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue
The only explanation for this occurrence is the beauty of the moonlight shining in the sky
It must have been moonglow that led me straight to you
The magical quality of the moonlight has brought us together
I still hear you sayin', "Dear one, hold me fast"
I can still hear the words you spoke to me, asking me to hold you tightly
And I keep on prayin', "Oh Lord, please let this last"
I continue to pray that this moment of love and magic will never end
We seemed to float right through the air
Our bodies felt weightless, free from the constraints of the world
Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere
The universe seemed to respond to our love with celestial music
And now when there's moonglow, way up in the blue
Whenever I see the moonlight shining in the sky
I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you
I will forever associate the magic of the moon with the love that brought us together
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Eddie Delange, Irving Mills, Will Hudson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
stefano Alessandro Ruocco Salas
excelente gran orquesta y gran músico Harry James
Darrol Dewey Jones
He had such a wonderful tone and chops galore ,his career must have been almost 40 years or more ,therefore I dub him King James !
Bruce Kuehn
The famous Carnegie Hall concert in January, 1938 with Benny Goodman - Harry James played his memorable solo on Sing Sing Sing when he was 21 yrs old. Young kids with horns take note - Harry’s father was a circus band leader and made the young lad continually practice out of the Arban Book. There are no short cuts. Same as it’s always been. Practice, practice, practice.
TexasRedneck
Agreed!
Cannot be replicated or short cut.
Isabelle Frost
The greatest sounds and harmonies !!! Those were the Golden Days... making me so nostalgic... but so grateful too !!!
Lou McConnell
Might be the nicest rendition of Moonglow.This arrangement was years ahead of its time
kips
I prefer Artie Shaw's
Marcel Audubon
Ahead of it's time? more people knew more about arranging back then than they do today
Greg Rosen
Beautiful Harry James sound. Such an inspiration to players all over the world. My Dad got to run off from a Chicago HS field trip to see him play before the war and is a great memory.
valerie kelly
Just love Harry James -brings back so many memories of when my world was young - only yesterday x