Kay Starr was successful in every field of music she tried, jazz, country and pop. But her roots were in jazz, Billie Holiday, considered by many the greatest jazz singer of all time, called Starr "the only white woman who could sing the blues."
She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".
Kay Starr was born on a reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma. Her father, Harry, was a full-blooded Iroquois Indian; her mother, Annie, was of mixed Irish and American Indian heritage. When her father got a job installing water sprinkler systems, the family moved to Dallas, Texas.
While her father worked for the Automatic Sprinkler Company, her mother raised chickens, and Kay used to sing to the chickens in the coop. As a result of the fact that her aunt, Nora, was impressed by her singing, she began to sing at the age of seven on a Dallas radio station, WRR, first in a talent competition where she finished third one week and won every week thereafter, then with her own weekly fifteen minute show. She sang pop and "hillbilly" songs with a piano accompaniment. By the age of ten, she was making $3 a night, a lot of money in the Depression days.
As a result of her father's changing jobs, her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and she continued performing on the radio, singing "Western swing music," still mostly a mix of country and pop. It was while she was on the Memphis radio station WMPS that, as a result of misspellings in her fan mail, she and her parents decided to give her the name "Kay Starr". At the age of fifteen, she was chosen to sing with the Joe Venuti orchestra. Venuti had a contract to play in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis which called for his band to feature a girl singer, which he did not have; Venuti's road manager heard her on the radio, and suggested her to Venuti. Because she was still in junior high school, her parents insisted that Venuti take her home no later than midnight.
Although she had brief stints in 1939 with Bob Crosby and Glenn Miller (who hired her in July of that year when his regular singer, Marion Hutton, was sick), she spent most of her next few years with Venuti, until he dissolved his band in 1942. It was, however, with Miller that she cut her first record: "Baby Me"/"Love with a Capital You." It was not a great success, in part because the band played in a key more appropriate for Marion Hutton, which was less suited for Kay's vocal range.
Half of a Photograph
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it took my breath away;
On that face on that photograph
Was my love of yesterday.
It was only half a picture,
There was still another part,
But somebody tore that picture
Somewhere I'm on the other half;
If you find it you will see
That this half of that photograph
Has a smile that he meant for me!
It was only half a picture,
There was still another part,
But somebody, somebody tore that picture
Like the way he tore my heart!
Somewhere I'm on the other half;
If you find it you will see
That this half of that photograph
Has a smile that he meant for me
In Kay Starr's song "Half of a Photograph," the lyrics tell a story of heartbreak and longing. The singer comes across a photograph of a face that instantly captivates them, but they are struck by the fact that the picture is torn in half. This symbolizes the incomplete nature of their relationship with their former love. The photograph serves as a reminder of the love they shared in the past.
The lyrics convey the pain felt by the singer, both in the physical tearing of the photograph and in the emotional tearing of their heart. The act of tearing the picture is likened to the way the singer's heart was torn apart by their former partner. This imagery emphasizes the deep emotional impact of their separation.
Despite the pain, the singer believes that the other half of the photograph exists somewhere. They express hope that if the missing piece is found, it will reveal a smile meant for them. This suggests that there is still a longing for connection and a sense of unfinished business in the relationship. The smile in the photograph represents the happiness and love that was once shared between the singer and their former partner.
Ultimately, the lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and yearning for lost love. The torn photograph symbolizes the brokenness of the relationship, while the hope for finding the other half suggests a desire for reconciliation or closure. The emotional impact of the song lies in the bittersweet nature of reminiscing about a love that was lost and the longing to recapture what once was.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw half of a photograph
I caught a glimpse of one side of a photograph
And it took my breath away;
And it left me feeling deeply moved;
On that face on that photograph
On that face captured in the picture
Was my love of yesterday.
Was the person I once loved.
It was only half a picture,
There was only one portion of the image,
There was still another part,
The other half was missing,
But somebody tore that picture
But someone deliberately ripped the photo
Like the way he tore my heart!
Similar to how he broke my heart!
Somewhere I'm on the other half;
Somewhere I exist in the missing portion;
If you find it you will see
If you discover it, you will see
That this half of that photograph
That this portion of the photo
Has a smile that he meant for me!
Has a smile that was meant for me!
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOB RUSSELL, HAL STANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
suzieQ195
One of Kay Starr's best!! It lingers in my memory.
David Walsh
I love the voice of Kay Starr. She has a special way with a song. This is a lovely performance of a super song.
Carlos Gil
What a voice!!! so many memories come to my mind, that I cry out of joy. Kay is the best, nothing like her
James Kreinhop
This was one of the few records we had at the weather station on Kume Jima in 1956 when I was just starting out in the AF. Allez vous en was on the other side. We played it over and over and I am still not tired of it.
David Walsh
Kay Starr was simply magic on these yearning ballads. Her voice had a special little catch to it, I found her vocals totally enchanting. A true all time great.
John Galvin
She had style...you've got taste..
Catmadwoman
I love this recording. We had it on 78 and it was played to death by me 8 years old. I still listen to it in my car even now when I'm playing oldies.
John Galvin
It's being able to hear these priceless gems from the past that makes sound recording one of the Wonders Of The World...
michael snellgrove
great recording loved it for years
suzieQ195
Thank you for sharing... these oldies from the 50's and the 40's certainly take me back, many memories, many loved ones that are now gone...