Earl Hines and His Orchestra
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Biography
Born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania on December 28, 1903, Earl âFathaâ Hines was one of the most important and influential pianists in the history of jazz. His father, Joseph, played the cornet in and, as a child, Earl looked set to follow suit until the age of nine when his mother persuaded him a to take up piano. In 1923, he relocated to Chicago, Illinois and worked with Sammy Stewart and Erskine Tateâs Vendome Theatre Orchestra. Three years later, he began a long-term collaboration with Louis Armstrong that would continue for years. Earl Hines was an exceptional soloist but also spent time as a bandleader, debuting his own big band â Earl Hines and His Orchestra â in Chicago at the Grand Terrace on December 28, 1928, his 25th birthday. For the next two decades, he led his own band that, at various times, featured some of the eraâs top musicians including Walter Fuller (trumpet/vocals), Ray Nance (trumpet/violin), Trummy Young (trombone), Budd Johnson (tenor saxophonist), reed players Darnell Howard and Omer Simeon, and many others. They released a series of 10â singles including âI Love You Because I Love Youâ, âBlue Dragâ, Harlem Lamentâ, âWolverine Bluesâ, âJust to Be in Carolineâ, âSwinginâ Downâ, âThatâs a Plentyâ, and many more. Billy Eckstine became his most popular vocalist when he joined in 1940. During the musiciansâ recording strike in 1943, Earl Hinesâ band became one of the first bebop orchestras when he brought in Sarah Vaughan (vocals), Charlie Parker (tenor saxophone), and Dizzy Gillespie (trumpeter). All three members were gone by the time the strike ended, but Earl Hines still pushed forward with Wardell Gray (tenor saxophone), who played with the orchestra in 1945 and 1946. After World War II ended, the popularity of big bands waned and by 1948, facing economic hardship, Earl Hines dismantled his orchestra. He joined Louis Armstrongâs All-Stars for several years before heading up a Dixieland band. By the 1960s, Hines' popularity had faded, but he had a career renaissance in 1964 when Stanley Dance arranged three live dates for him at New York's Little Theater, thrusting him back into the limelight. For the next two decades, he continued to tour and record. Earl Hines died on April 22, 1983. Over the years, there were many compilations released that featured classic Earl Hines and His Orchestra recordings including Earl âFathaâ Hines and His Orchestra (1959), Harlem Lament (1989), and Earl Hines and His Orchestra: 1932 â 1934 and 1937 (2009), and many others.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Skylark featuring Billy Eckstine
- Clarinet Marmalade
- No Good Woman Blues by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Maple Leaf Rag
- Jack Climbed a Beanstalk by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Jezebel by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Dominick Swing by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Tippin' at the Terrace by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Please Be Kind by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Skylark featuring Billy Eckstine
- Why Must We Part
- It Had to Be You
- You Don't Know What Love Is by Earl Hines and His Orchestra
- Caution Blues
- Grand Terrace Shuffle
- Fat Babes
- Rock And Rye
- Stormy Monday Blues featuring Billy Eckstine
- Copenhagen
- Father Steps In
- Number 19
- Yes Sir, That's My Baby
- West End Blues
- Squeeze Me
