Wilson's sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. With Goodman, he was perhaps the first well-known black musician to play publicly in a racially integrated group. In addition to his extensive work as a sideman, Wilson also led his own groups and recording sessions from the late 1920s to the '80s.
Wilson was born in Austin, Texas, on November 24, 1912. He studied piano and violin at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. After working in the Lawrence "Speed" Webb band, with Louis Armstrong, and also understudying Earl Hines in Hines's Grand Terrace Cafe Orchestra, Wilson joined Benny Carter's Chocolate Dandies in 1933. In 1935, he joined the Benny Goodman Trio (which consisted of Goodman, Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa, later expanded to the Benny Goodman Quartet with the addition of Lionel Hampton). The trio performed during the big band's intermissions. By joining the trio, Wilson became the first black musician to perform in public with a previously all-white jazz group.
Noted jazz producer and writer John Hammond was instrumental in getting Wilson a contract with Brunswick, starting in 1935, to record hot swing arrangements of the popular songs of the day, with the growing jukebox trade in mind. He recorded fifty hit records with various singers such as Lena Horne, Helen Ward and Billie Holiday, including many of Holiday's greatest successes. During these years, he also took part in many highly regarded sessions with a wide range of important swing musicians such as Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Red Norvo, Buck Clayton, and Ben Webster.
Wilson formed his own short-lived big band in 1939, then led a sextet at Café Society from 1940 to 1944. He was dubbed the "Marxist Mozart" by Howard "Stretch" Johnson due to his support for left-wing causes. Wilson performed in benefit concerts for The New Masses journal, for Russian War Relief and he chaired the Artists' Committee to elect Benjamin J. Davis). In the 1950s, Wilson taught at the Juilliard School. Wilson can be seen appearing as himself in the 1955 motion picture The Benny Goodman Story. He also worked as music director for the Dick Cavett Show.
Wilson lived quietly in suburban Hillsdale, New Jersey, in the 1960s and 1970s. He performed as a soloist and with pick-up groups until the final years of his life.
Wilson died in New Britain CT, on July 31, 1986; he was 73. He is buried at Fairview Cemetery in New Britain, Connecticut.
Coquette
Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little coquette, making fun of the one who loves you
Breaking hearts you are ruling
Little coquette, true hearts tenderly dreaming of you.
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
Maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
You know, my little coquette, I love you.
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
Now, maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
Now, you know, my little coquette, I love you.
The lyrics to Teddy Wilson's song "Coquette" are a plea from a heartbroken man to a flirtatious woman who is constantly playing with his emotions. The term "coquette" refers to a woman who flirts with men and enjoys the attention, but has no real intention of committing to any one person. The singer is tired of being toyed with and wants the woman to see the pain she is causing him and other men who love her.
The lyrics suggest that the coquette will eventually fall in love and experience the same heartache that she has caused others. The singer hopes that the coquette will realize the error of her ways and come to appreciate the true love that he has been offering her all along. The final lines of the song reveal the singer's true feelings for the coquette, despite her fickle nature.
Overall, the song is a bittersweet homage to the complexities of love and the challenges of dealing with a partner who is more interested in playing games than building a lasting connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear me, why you keep fooling
Listen to me, why do you continue to deceive others
Little coquette, making fun of the one who loves you
Young flirt, teasing the person who loves you
Breaking hearts you are ruling
You are in control, breaking people's hearts
Little coquette, true hearts tenderly dreaming of you.
Little flirt, breaking the hearts of those who truly love you.
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
One day, you will fall in love and understand how I feel about you.
Maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
Perhaps the person you love will deceive you as well.
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
When you are by yourself, facing your regrets,
You know, my little coquette, I love you.
You should know, my dear flirt, that I love you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: JOHN WALDO GREEN, GUS KAHN, CARMEN LOMBARDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind