1) Nancy Sue Wilson - … Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) Nancy Sue Wilson - jazz diva best known for her 60s standards recordings.
2) Nancy Lamoureaux Wilson - singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and member of the group Heart.
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1) Nancy Sue Wilson (born February 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, OH, United States – December 13, 2018, in Pioneertown, CA, United States) was a jazz diva famous for recording American standards in the 60s.
She was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets -- and even hosting her own television variety program -- she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Wilson first attracted notice performing the club circuit in nearby Columbus; she quickly earned a growing reputation among jazz players and fans, and she was recording regularly by the late '50s, eventually signing to Capitol and issuing LPs including 1959's Like in Love and Nancy Wilson with Billy May's Orchestra. Her dates with Shearing, including 1960's The Swingin's Mutual, solidified her standing as a talent on the rise, and her subsequent work with Adderley -- arguably her finest recordings -- further cemented her growing fame and reputation.
In the years to follow, however, Wilson often moved away from jazz, much to the chagrin of purists; she made numerous albums, many of them properly categorized as pop and R&B outings, and toured extensively, appearing with everyone from Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan to Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. She even hosted her own Emmy-winning variety series for NBC, The Nancy Wilson Show, and was a frequent guest performer on other programs; hits of the period included "Tell Me the Truth," "How Glad I Am," "Peace of Mind," and "Now, I'm a Woman." Regardless of how far afield she traveled, Wilson always maintained her connections to the jazz world, and in the 1980s, she returned to the music with a vengeance, working closely with performers including Hank Jones, Art Farmer, Ramsey Lewis, and Benny Golson. By the 1990s, she was a favorite among the "new adult contemporary" market, her style ideally suited to the format's penchant for lush, romantic ballads; she also hosted the Jazz Profiles series on National Public Radio.
In the early 2000s, Wilson recorded two albums with Ramsey Lewis for Narada (2002's Meant to Be and 2003's Simple Pleasures). Her 2004 album R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) was a blend of straight-ahead jazz and ballads, similar to her next record, 2006's Turned to Blue, which, like R.S.V.P., used a different instrumentalist for each track. In 2005, Capitol released a three-part series to pay tribute to Wilson's contributions to music in the '50s and '60s: Guess Who I Saw Today: Nancy Wilson Sings Songs of Lost Love, Save Your Love for Me: Nancy Wilson Sings the Great Blues Ballads, and The Great American Songbook.
Wilson died from a long-illness on December 13, 2018 at her home in Pioneertown, California at the age of 81.
2) Nancy Lamoureux Wilson (born March 16, 1954, San Francisco, CA, United States), more popularly known as Nancy Wilson, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter. Along with her older sister Ann Wilson, she is part of the Seattle/Vancouver rock band Heart. She is married to film director and screenwriter Cameron Crowe and has composed and performed music for most of Crowe's movies, including Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, and Elizabethtown.
While Ann is the lead singer on most of the Heart recordings, Nancy is the lead vocalist on Treat Me Well, These Dreams, Stranded, There's the Girl and Will You Be There (In The Morning), and frequently performs background vocals. She is also the band's rhythm and lead guitarist. In 1999, she released a live solo album, Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop.
Solo albums
1999 - Live At McCabes Guitar Shop
2005 - Elizabethtown
2009 - Baby Guitars
2016 - Undercover Guitar (with Julie Bergman)
2021 - You and Me
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
Nancy Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's got a smile that makes the lilac wanta grow
He's got a way that makes the angels heave a sigh
When they know little Joe's passing by
Sometimes the cabin's gloomy and the table's bare
Then he'll kiss me and it's Christmas everywhere
Troubles fly away and life is easy go
Seems like happiness, is just a thing called Joe
Little Joe, little Joe, little Joe
The song Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe by Nancy Wilson portrays an individual's perception of true happiness. For the singer, happiness is embodied in one person named Joe. Joe's smile is so captivating that it can make lilacs grow, and his mere presence brings peace to the heavens. The song describes how Joe's love can transform any gloomy atmosphere into a joyous celebration. Even when things seem difficult, a single kiss from Joe can make everything seem alright. The author believes that Joe's love is all they need to be happy in life.
The song conveys a message that love, care and affection are some of the vital ingredients of happiness. Happiness is not a permanent state of mind but is fleeting and transient. It is only when you find the right person who loves, supports and enriches you, that one can experience true happiness that lasts a lifetime. The lyrics of the song are evocative and inspiring, reminding people of the power of love and its ability to make anything possible.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe
The source of true happiness in life comes from the love and companionship of someone special, like Joe.
He's got a smile that makes the lilac wanta grow
The joy and positive energy that Joe radiates has the power to uplift and brighten up everything around him, like flowers blooming.
He's got a way that makes the angels heave a sigh
Joe's presence and demeanor is so alluring and captivating that even celestial beings like angels are awe-struck by him.
When they know little Joe's passing by
The impact of Joe's presence is so profound that even those who don't know him personally can sense his energy and feel uplifted.
Sometimes the cabin's gloomy and the table's bare
Life can be tough and challenging at times, but Joe's love and affection has the ability to turn even the most mundane and bleak situations into something special and meaningful.
Then he'll kiss me and it's Christmas everywhere
Joe's love is so pure and genuine that it has the power to make every moment feel like a joyous and festive occasion, like Christmas.
Troubles fly away and life is easy go
Joe's love and support serves as a beacon of light during hard times, making life's struggles more bearable and allowing one to live life with ease and grace.
Does he love me good, that's all I need to know
The simple yet profound love that Joe has for the artist is the most important thing in her life, making everything else pale in comparison.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind