Kay Starr (Katherine Laverne Starks, July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016) was … Read Full Bio ↴Kay Starr (Katherine Laverne Starks, July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016) was an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 1950s.

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.

It's A Great Feeling
Kay Starr Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a great feelin',
You suddenly find
The clouds are silver lined
When the sun breaks through.
It's a great feelin',
You walk down the street
And see the folks you meet
Smilin' back at you.

As long as I've got someone to embrace,
As far as I'm concerned the world is such a lovely place!

It's a great feelin',
Your credit is nil,
You'll never make a mill'!
But nontheless, I stay;
If you're in love
You're feelin' great!

Oooh, what a feelin'!
You suddenly find
The clouds are silver lined,
Yes, when the sun breaks through.
It's a great feelin',
You walk down the street
And see the folks you meet,
They're smilin' back at you.

As long as I've got someone to embrace,
As far as I'm concerned the world is such a lovely place!

It's a great feelin',
Your credit is nil,
You'll never make a mill'!
But nontheless, I stay;

Then if you're in love
You're gonna feel so great!

Overall Meaning

Kay Starr's song "It's a Great Feeling" is all about finding joy in the little things in life, and how being in love can make everything better. The opening lines of the song talk about how suddenly everything seems to brighten up when the sun breaks through the clouds and how it's such a great feeling. This is a metaphor for realizing that life is not always easy, but even in the tough times, there is always something to be grateful for.

The song goes on to describe how even when things seem hopeless and the singer's credit is nil and they'll never make a million dollars, being in love makes it all worth it. The line "As long as I've got someone to embrace" is a reminder that having love and connection in our lives is what truly makes us happy. The chorus then repeats the message that it's a great feeling to see people smiling back at you when you walk down the street.

Overall, the theme of the song is about finding joy in the present moment and how love can make everything better, even when life seems tough. The upbeat tempo and cheerful melody make it a feel-good tune that is perfect for lifting spirits and spreading positivity.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a great feelin',
Overall feeling of being happy and content

You suddenly find
The feeling is abrupt and unexpected

The clouds are silver lined
Life's troubles seem less daunting

When the sun breaks through.
There is hope among the difficulty

You walk down the street
Feeling confident and comfortable in public

And see the folks you meet
Noticing the positive reactions of others

Smilin' back at you.
Finding a sense of belonging and acceptance in society

As long as I've got someone to embrace,
The importance of having a loved one

As far as I'm concerned the world is such a lovely place!
The positive impact of having someone to love

Your credit is nil,
Lacking financial status

You'll never make a mill'!
A realistic view that success may not be monetary