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.
My Buddy
Harry James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some of its leaves bring a sigh,
There it was written, my buddy,
That we must part, you and I.
[Chorus]
Nights are long since you went away,
I think about you all through the day,
Miss your voice, the touch of your hand,
Just long to know that you understand,
My buddy, my buddy, your buddy misses you
Buddies through all the gay days,
Buddies when something went wrong;
I wait alone through the gray days,
Missing your smile and your song.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Harry James’s song, My Buddy, is a moving tribute to a deeply cherished friendship that has been irrevocably broken apart by Death. In the opening lines, Life is compared to a book that we examine with attention and care. However, while some of its pages cause a feeling of joy and happiness, other pages induce a sigh of deep sorrow. Hinging on this metaphor, Harry James laments the loss of his dear friend, whom he affectionately addresses as "my buddy." This friend was probably someone he had known for a long time and whom he had shared numerous adventures and experiences with. But now this friend is no longer with him, and their time together is over. The second and third stanzas continue in this vein as Harry James expresses his loneliness and yearning for his buddy's presence. The chorus brings the message of the song, underscoring the powerful bond that he and his buddy shared through thick and thin and confessing how much he misses him.
Line by Line Meaning
Life is a book that we study,
Life is a complex experience that we learn from through every chapter and page.
Some of its leaves bring a sigh,
Life is not always easy, some pages of our life bring sadness and longing to our heart.
There it was written, my buddy,
But, in the content of that complex experience of life, there was someone dear, a friend, who made a significant impact on our life, and whom we will always miss.
That we must part, you and I.
Eventually, life will separate us from our friends, and we must move on with only our memories of them.
[Chorus]
Despite the separation, the memories of our experience and friendship continue to resonate through our life affecting every part of it.
Nights are long since you went away,
The night becomes longer without the presence of that person in our life.
I think about you all through the day,
We never stop thinking about that person, and they continue to have a place in our heart and thoughts every day.
My buddy, my buddy, no buddy quite so true.
That person meant so much to us and was so true to us that no one else we will ever meet could have replaced them, and they keep that special place in our heart forever.
Miss your voice, the touch of your hand,
Their voice and touch were so special to us, and we miss them every day, we long for the comfort of their presence, even if only for a moment.
Just long to know that you understand,
We continue to desire that connection, even after separation, we want them to know that they were important to us, and that they continue to be a part of us.
My buddy, my buddy, your buddy misses you
They will always remain our buddy, and we will forever remember our friendship, despite the distance and time, we miss them dearly.
Buddies through all the gay days,
We shared many happy moments together, and no one else understands that as they did since they were there every moment with us.
Buddies when something went wrong;
They were there for us in the hard times as well, and that is how we know that they were truly sincere in their friendship, they were there when we needed them the most.
I wait alone through the gray days,
In times of despair or confusion, we often wait alone for that special person to come and comfort us, but they are not there anymore, just as the page in the book, and our life, has turned, so has the story of our friendship.
Missing your smile and your song.
We remember their energy, their happiness, and their spirit, which brought joy into our life, we miss that now more than ever.
[Chorus]
But still, we carry our memories around with us, and they will forever be a part of us, just as the lines in a book are a part of the story. They will always be our buddy, and forever missed.
Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Irving Berlin, Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan Procházka
on All or Nothing at All
trumpet boogie