Research Catalog
Mr. B. : the life and music of Billy Eckstine
- Title
- Mr. B. : the life and music of Billy Eckstine / Cary Ginell ; with a foreword by Ed Eckstein.
- Author
- Ginell, Cary
- Publication
- Milwaukee, WI : Hal Leonard Books, [2013]
Items in the Library & Off-site
Filter by
3 Items
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person. | Book/Text | Use in library | Sc E 15-852 | Schomburg Center - Research & Reference |
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person. | Book/Text | Use in library | JNE 14-19 | Performing Arts Research Collections - Music |
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person. | Book/Text | Use in library | JNE 14-10 | Performing Arts Research Collections - Music |
Details
- Description
- xix, 228 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 23 cm.
- Summary
- "In 1950, Billy Eckstine was the most popular singer in America. Movie-star handsome with an elegant pencil-thin mustache and a wide vibrato, Eckstine possessed one of the most magnificent voices in popular music history. Born in Pittsburgh, Eckstine won a talent contest by imitating Cab Calloway and started leading jazz orchestras under the name Baron Billy. In 1939, he joined Earl Hines' orchestra, composing and performing the hits "Jelly, Jelly" and "Stormy Monday Blues." In 1944, he formed what is now considered the first bebop orchestra that included, during its brief three-year run, legendary figures such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Sarah Vaughan. Signing with MGM, he rose to superstar status, sold millions of records, marketed his own line of "Mr. B." shirt collars, and inspired an army of female admirers, known as "Billy-soxers." Eckstine fought all his life for recognition and respect in his quest to become America's first black romantic singing idol, but he faced hardships in the segregated music world of the '40s and '50s. Despite this, he went on to influence many singers who followed, including Arthur Prysock, Johnny Hartman, Johnny Mathis, Kevin Mahogany, Barry White, and even Elvis Presley. In this book, Cary Ginell traces, for the first time, the life of one of the twentieth century's most amazing success stories, the man known simply as "Mr. B."
- Series Statement
- The Hal Leonard jazz biography series
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-202) and index.
- Call Number
- JNE 14-19
- ISBN
- 9781458419804 (pbk.)
- 1458419800 (pbk.)
- LCCN
- 2013025628
- OCLC
- 827257129
- Author
- Ginell, Cary, author.
- Title
- Mr. B. : the life and music of Billy Eckstine / Cary Ginell ; with a foreword by Ed Eckstein.
- Publisher
- Milwaukee, WI : Hal Leonard Books, [2013]
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Series
- The Hal Leonard jazz biography series
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-202) and index.
- Research Call Number
- JNE 14-19JNE 14-10Sc E 15-852