Born in Montreal, Canada, Peterson began learning trumpet and piano from his father at the age of five, but by the age of seven, after a bout of tuberculosis, he concentrated on the piano. Some of the artists who influenced Peterson during the early years were Teddy Wilson, Nat "King" Cole, James P. Johnson, and the legendary Art Tatum, to whom many have tried to compare Peterson in later years. In fact, one of his first exposures to the musical talents of Art Tatum came early in his teen years when his father played an Art Tatum record to him and Peterson was so intimidated by what he heard that he didn't touch the piano for over a week.
He soon developed a reputation as a technically brilliant and melodically inventive jazz pianist, and became a regular on Canadian radio. His United States introduction was at Carnegie Hall, New York City in 1949 by Norman Granz; owing to union restrictions his appearance could not be billed.
Some of his musical associates have included Lester Young, Ray Brown, Ben Webster, Herb Ellis, Ed Thigpen, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, Stéphane Grappelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Count Basie, and Stan Getz. An important step in his career was joining impresario Norman Granz's labels (especially Verve records) and Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic package, with which he was able to play with the major jazz artists of the time. Granz was also his manager for most of Peterson's career. Some cognoscenti assert that Peterson's best recordings were made for the MPS label in the late 'sixties and early 'seventies. For some years subsequently he recorded for Granz's Pablo Records after the label was founded in 1973 and in more recent years for the Telarc label.
In 1993, Peterson suffered a serious stroke that weakened his left side and sidelined him for two years. However he overcame this setback and went back to touring, recording, and composing on a limited basis. In 1997 he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. He died on December 24th, 2007 of kidney failure.
Birth of the Blues
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were searching for a diff'rent tune
One that they could croon
As only they can
They only had the rhythm so
They started swaying to and fro
They didn't know just what they had
They heard the breeze in the trees
Singing weird melodies
And they made that
The start of the blues
And from a jail came the wail
Of a down hearted frail
And they played that
As part of the blues
From a whippoorwill out on a hill
They took a new note
Pushed it through a horn
'til it was born into a blue note
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
And gave out the news
That the southland
Gave birth to the blues!
The first two lines of the lyrics in Oscar Peterson's "Birth of the Blues" speak of people searching for something new, something different. They wanted a tune that they could croon, something that they could sing as only they can. They only had rhythm, so they began swaying to and fro, not knowing what they had. And this, according to the song, is how the blues began.
The song talks about how the blues was born from different sources. People heard the eerie melody of the breeze in the trees and incorporated that into the start of the blues. And the wail of a downhearted frail in jail became a part of the blues. From a whippoorwill out on a hill, they took a new note and pushed it through a horn until it was born as a blue note. They rehearsed and nursed it, and then they gave out the news. The southland gave birth to the blues, and it became a genre that would influence music for decades to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! they say some people long ago
It's said that a group of individuals from the past
Were searching for a diff'rent tune
Were on the hunt for a new melody
One that they could croon
A tune that they could sing and perform
As only they can
In their own unique way
They only had the rhythm so
They lacked a melody and only had a beat
They started swaying to and fro
They began to dance and move their bodies
They didn't know just what they had
They were unaware of the significance of what they possessed
And that is how the blues really began
This is how the distinct musical genre known as the blues originated
They heard the breeze in the trees
The people listened to the sounds of nature around them
Singing weird melodies
Which produced strange and unique musical sounds
And they made that
They transformed those sounds
The start of the blues
Into the beginning of what later became known as the blues
And from a jail came the wail
Out of a prison came a sorrowful cry
Of a down hearted frail
From a miserable and hopeless person
And they played that
They turned that sound and emotion into music
As part of the blues
As an integral component of the blues genre
From a whippoorwill out on a hill
By using notes from the whippoorwill bird in the mountains
They took a new note
They created a fresh musical sound
Pushed it through a horn
They amplified and broadcast that sound using a musical instrument
Until it was born into a blue note
Until the new sound became an established blue musical note
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
They carefully developed and practiced the new sound
And gave out the news
And shared their discovery with others
That the southland
That the southern region of the United States
Gave birth to the blues!
Was the birthplace of the blues musical genre
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: B.G. DESYLVA, LEW BROWN, RAY HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 73yo Aussie fan.
God--THEY sure can SWING......