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.
Stars Fell On Alabama
Kay Starr Lyrics
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All the world a dream come true
Did it really happen, was I really there, was I really there with you?
We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
And stars fell on Alabama last night
I can't forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light
And stars fell on Alabama last night
A fairy land where no one else could enter
And in the center just you and me, dear
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
And stars fell on Alabama last night
We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
And stars fell on Alabama last night
I can't forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light
And stars fell on Alabama last night
I never planned in my imagination a situation so heavenly
A fairy land where no one else could enter
And in the center just you and me, dear
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
Kay Starr's song Stars Fell On Alabama is a love song that reminisces about a magical moment the singer shared with a lover in Alabama. The song describes a romantic encounter that was so surreal and picturesque that it felt like a dream come true. The lyrics evoke a dreamlike imagery of moonlight, magnolias, and starlight, which creates a vivid and compelling scene of a romantic night.
The lyrics "We kissed in a field of white, And stars fell on Alabama last night" indicate a deep sense of intimacy, as the couple seeks refuge from the world and immerses themselves in the moment. The line "My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight" is symbolic of the passion and intensity of the moment.
The lyrics of Stars Fell On Alabama portray a love that is pure, indulgent, and free from the outside world. The song is a poetic expression of a moment that was so extraordinary, it left a lasting impact on the singer's mind. The soothing musical notes and the singer's melodious voice add to the romanticism of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Moonlight and magnolia, starlight in your hair
The setting was surrounded by the beauty of nature, the moon, and a shining star in your hair.
All the world a dream come true
The entire moment felt surreal and like a dream.
Did it really happen, was I really there, was I really there with you?
The singer questions whether the magical moment was real and if they truly experienced it together.
We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
The two of them shared a romantic moment in a snowy field.
And stars fell on Alabama last night
The metaphorical stars added to the enchantment of the night.
I can't forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light
The singer recalls the elegance of the moment and the tenderness in their partner's eyes.
I never planned in my imagination a situation so heavenly
The singer never imagined a moment so idyllic could occur.
A fairy land where no one else could enter
The moment felt like a private fairy tale that only the two of them shared.
And in the center just you and me, dear
The two of them were the sole focus of the magical moment.
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
The singer was emotionally and physically overwhelmed by the intense love they felt towards their partner.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Frank Perkins, Mitchell Parish
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind