Encouraged by Willis Jackson in whose band he also played bass in the late 50s, McDuff moved to the organ and began to attract the attention of Prestige Records while still with Jackson's group. McDuff soon became a bandleader, leading groups featuring a young George Benson, Red Holloway on saxophone and Joe Dukes on drums.
McDuff recorded many classic albums on Prestige including his debut solo Brother Jack in 1960, The Honeydripper (1961), with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest and guitarist Grant Green, and Brother Jack Meets The Boss (1962), featuring Gene Ammons, and Screamin’ (1962).
After his tenure at Prestige, McDuff joined the Atlantic Records label for a brief period and then in the 70s recorded for Blue Note. To Seek a New Home (1970) was recorded in England with a line-up featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon and some of Britain's top jazz musicians of the day, including Terry Smith on guitar and Dick Morrissey on tenor sax.
The decreasing interest in jazz and blues patent during the late 70s and 80s meant that many jazz musicians went through a lean time and it wasn't until the late 80s, with The Re-Entry, recorded for the Muse label in 1988, that McDuff once again began a successful period of recordings, initially for Muse, then on the Concord Jazz label from 1991. George Benson appeared on his mentor’s 1992 Colour Me Blue album.
Despite battling health problems, McDuff continued working and recording throughout the eighties and nineties. 'Captain' Jack McDuff, as he later became known, died of heart failure at the age of 74 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Secret love
Jack McDuff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lived within the heart of me
All too soon my secret love,
Became impatient to be free
So I told a friendly star,
The way that dreamers often do
Just how wonderful you are,
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
Even told the golden daffodils
At last my hearts an open door,
And my secret love's
No secret anymore.
The lyrics to Jack McDuff's Secret Love speak of a strong feeling of love that was hidden and kept as a secret by the person who had it. The lyrics convey a sense of protection over the emotion, keeping it locked away in the depths of one's heart. However, it comes a time when the love becomes too much to keep hidden and starts to demand freedom, which is exactly what happens in the song. The person finally decides to let go of the secret and confides in a "friendly star" about how wonderful the subject of the love is and how deeply in love they are with them.
The final stanza of the song signifies the release of the love from its confinement. The person shouts it from the highest hills, as if to tell the world about their love. This portrays the intensity of the love and the extent to which it has taken hold of them. They even tell the golden daffodils, which are symbolic of nature, further indicating the purity and organic nature of the love. The last line, "And my secret love's no secret anymore", is a powerful message of liberation and acceptance, and it further emphasizes that the love can no longer be contained but has to be out in the open.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a secret love,
I used to nurse a profound affection for someone in secret,
That lived within the heart of me
My love was carefully concealed in my heart,
All too soon my secret love,
Eventually, my love grew impatient and restless,
Became impatient to be free
It yearned to be expressed and disclosed freely,
So I told a friendly star,
I confided in a star, as dreamers often do,
The way that dreamers often do
The way I allowed my emotions to take over in a dream-like manner,
Just how wonderful you are,
I told the star how amazing and wonderful my loved one is,
And why I'm so in love with you
And explained why I'm completely in love with this person,
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
Now, I can't help but express my love loudly and boldly,
Even told the golden daffodils
Even the flowers are privy to my affection,
At last my hearts an open door,
I'm no longer concealing my heart's desire and thoughts,
And my secret love's. No secret anymore.
The love I held in secret is now known to all and no longer hidden,
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER, SAMMY FAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind