He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a traveling circus. By the age of 10 he was taking trumpet lessons from his father, who placed him on a strict daily practice schedule. Each day, James was given one page to learn from the Arban's book and was not allowed to pursue any other pastime until he had learned that particular page.
In 1931 the family settled in Beaumont, Texas, where James began playing with local dance bands.
He joined the nationally popular Ben Pollack in 1935 but at the start of 1937, left Pollack to join Benny Goodman's orchestra, where he stayed through 1938.
In February 1939 James debuted his own big band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His hit "You Made Me Love You" was in the Top 10 during the week of December 7, 1941. He toured with the band into the 1980s.
His was the first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. He wanted to change Sinatra's name to 'Frankie Satin' but Sinatra refused. His later band included drummer Buddy Rich.
He played trumpet in the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn, dubbing Kirk Douglas. James's recording of "I'm Beginning to See the Light" appears in the motion picture My Dog Skip (2000). His music is also featured in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters. James recorded many popular records and appeared in many Hollywood movies.
He was second only to Glenn Miller as the most successful recording artist of 1942.
James was married three times. On May 4, 1935, he married singer Louise Tobin, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1943. That same year, he married actress Betty Grable. They had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica, before divorcing in 1965. James married a third time in 1968 to Las Vegas showgirl Joan Boyd, whom he would divorce in March 1970. Contrary to some assertions, he did not marry a fourth time. He had five children (two by Tobin, two by Grable, one by Boyd) and (as of his death) 16 grandchildren.
James owned several thoroughbred racehorses that won races such as the California Breeders' Champion Stakes (1951) and the San Vicente Stakes (1954). He was also a founding investor in the Atlantic City Race Course. His knowledge of horse racing was demonstrated during a 1958 appearance on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour entitled "Lucy Wins A Racehorse."
In 1983, James was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, but he continued to work, playing his last professional job on June 26, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, just nine days before his death in Las Vegas, Nevada. Frank Sinatra gave the eulogy at the Bunkers Eden Vale Memorial Park in Las Vegas.
I Only Have Eyes For You
Harry James and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for you dear
The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
'Cause I only have eyes for you
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for you
Only have eyes for you
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
Only have eyes for you
The lyrics of this song speak to the intense focus of love. The singer professes that in any situation, whether the stars are out or the moon is high, the only thing that matters is the person they love. It doesn't matter whether they are in a garden or on a crowded street, because all other people and distractions disappear from view. This kind of all-consuming affection is often associated with new love or infatuation, when one person becomes the center of another's world. The repetition of the phrase "only have eyes for you" reinforces this idea, as the singer emphasizes that their focus is completely on their beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
Are the stars out tonight
I'm not sure if the stars are visible tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I'm unaware if the weather is cloudy or clear
'Cause I only have eyes for you dear
But none of that matters because I'm solely focused on you
The moon may be high
The moon could be in the sky
But I can't see a thing in the sky
However, I'm not bothered to look as you have all my attention
'Cause I only have eyes for you
I'm fixated on you and nothing else
I don't know if we're in a garden
I'm unsure if we're standing in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
Or if we're in a packed street
You are here, so am I
Regardless of our location, we're together
Maybe millions of people go by
Even if countless individuals pass us by
But they all disappear from view
I don't see or notice them as I'm solely focused on you
And I only have eyes for you
My attention and affection are all directed towards you
Only have eyes for you
My devotion is solely for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeanne G Nadeau
Genius is frequently flawed in an area other than that of the genius which is so great....Harry James was a great trumpet player: technically, musically, artistically....that he was less than perfect in some of his private life does not detract from his gifts to us all. God bless him, and I can't wait to hear him trading fours with Gabriel, Clifford Brown, Dizzy, Pops and all the other greats up there in Heaven!
Hal Wheeler
I literally grew up with the sound and style of Harry James. My brother bought a lot of his records while he was in high school and I was 12 years younger. Except for Harry had a distinction o sound and style that n one else has ever successfully duplicated. Louis Armstrong and Bobby Hackett are also inimitable, but Harry was "the first trumpet of American popular music in the 40s, 50s and 60s." He combined a great classical technique with swing style with tremendous success. I would be happy to play like Harry in his last days---loving the melody with a special touch of inventiveness. I was on the air the day we heard of his death and devoted 15 minutes of the show to is most famous recordings. (I wasn't supposed to play that kind of music because it was one of those tortuous ""easy listening"" stations that played nothing but pablum.) I caught hell from the owner for breaking format but I had to do it. I was a trumpet player and he was not
boris mendes
Muito linda a canção e a japonesa e james com seu trumpete maravilhoso
Bonnie Parr
This is just wonderful. a person is the same person from birth to death and every segment of their life is just as important and valued. Thank you for posting this.
frankfan42
Thanks for posting these. I had no idea that he recorded these, sad that they did not want this released. I agree, Harry is still Harry here, and while the flame is dying it is not yet gone in these recordings. I own and have read Levinson's book and I always felt that he has a somewhat unconscious bias against Mr James. None of us is without flaw, but looking down on Harry seemed to permeate the whole book. It left me with a sad feeling, the opposite of when I LISTEN to James play. Thank you
Adriano Campos
Primoroso e inigualável.Bussola de minha infância e juventude.Atualmente um dos grandes trompetistas celestiais ad aeternitates...Congratulaçôes...
donal heffernan
it takes a lifetime to play the trumpet and another lifetime to play like HARRY JAMES maybe Levinson did not understand this, Harry was one of the greats, RIP
Antonio Carlos Novelli
Diz o velho ditado, "quem foi rei, nunca perde a majestade" digo, a embocadura, rsrsrsrs Harry James, é um exemplo desse dito popular, pois ainda tem aquela técnica e aquele velho e lindo timbre que o caracterizou durante muitos anos como o grande virtuose do trumpet.
Michael Klein
I read the Levinson biography just recently myself and really was expecting something sad to hear based on his description. Listening to this and knowing it was Mr. James' final performance, left me with a glowing smile. He sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Ward Harrah
i havent read all of trumpet blues, but have finished his Livin in a great big way about Tommy Dorsey....I just dont understand why Levinson felt the need to knock all of my musical heros off their "white horse"...Its almost like a bandleader from the 40's killed his parents or something