Claflin University gala to feature The Four Tops Oct 23, 2008
After catching the ear and eye of singer Billy Eckstine, they changed their name to The Four Tops, so as not to be confused with the Ames Brothers. After a stint with Chess Records in the late 1950s and Columbia Records in the early '60s, the group was introduced to Berry Gordy, who signed them to his new label, Motown Records. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
4th Annual Jazz with Steinbeck Returns Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Jul 25, 2008
During the 1960s, Mary also performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Eckstine, and first appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1965 at Dizzy's request. From 1969-1972, she performed with the Count Basie Orchestra as a featured singer. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Wine and Song line-up released May 6, 2008
"Cabaret and Cabernet" at Ledson Hotel, 480 First St. E., Ed Reed will sing jazz in the style of Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman and Billy Eckstine. Ledson Winery and Vineyards will pour. (Sonoma Index-Tribune, CA)
Milton Ebbins, liaison for JFK, Hollywood Apr 8, 2008
Mr. Ebbins later managed the careers of singers Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, and Vic Damone and actress Elizabeth Montgomery, the star of the 1960s TV comedy "Bewitched.". His closest professional relationship, however, was with Lawford. (Boston Globe)
Earl 'Fatha' Hines opened up the keyboards Feb 14, 2008
His early 1940s orchestra featured some of the brilliant young musicians who were turning jazz inside out: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan. Hines worked in Armstrong's small groups in the late '40s and early '50s before settling in the Bay Area. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Lew Spence, 87; composed songs sung by Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire Jan 20, 2008
In addition to Sinatra and Astaire, other artists who sang Spence's songs included Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Bobby Short, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Billy Eckstine and Dinah Shore. "I think he was an excellent songwriter, and his work had a lot of charm," said Hugh Martin, a theater and film composer best known for his songs in the 1944 MGM musical "Meet Me in St. Louis.". (Los Angeles Times)
Living at Legacy Nov 10, 2007
The names that went with some of those faces are etched in stone on the building's Wylie Avenue side: Billy Eckstine, Mary Dee, Ahmad Jamal, Walt Harper ... "There's Billy Eckstine, and that's Joe Westray with the guitar. He's gone -- they're all gone.". (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Stars align in Dowagiac for unforgettable show Nov 6, 2007
Hoyle performed with U.S. Air Force Bands from 1951-1955, appears on the "Super Fly" soundtrack and toured with Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Burt Bacharach, Peggy Lee and Henry Mancini, recorded with Quincy Jones, Woody Herman, Ramsey Lewis and Natalie Cole and performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, Billy Eckstine, Dean Martin and Milton Berle. Leal recorded a CD with Jackson at the 1998 Montreaux Detroit Jazz Festival. (Dowagiac News, MI)
Brother of legendary Nat King Cole to perform at PSC ... Veterans urged to attend ‘Welcome Home' event in Tucker County ... Lee joins staff at Potomac State of WVU ... Motorcycle club donates to WTC program ... Mollohan rep to visit Keyser ... ';var marqueewidth="350px";var marqueeheight="25px";var marqueebgcolor="#FFFFFF";////NO NEED TO EDIT BELOW THIS LINE////////////var pauseit=1;var marqueespeed=1 //slow speed down by 1 for NSvar copyspeed=marqueespeedvar pausespeed=(pauseit==0)? copyspeed: 0var iedom=document.all||document.getElementByIdif (iedom)document.write(''+marqueecontent+'')var actualwidth=''var cross_marquee, ns_marqueefunction populate(){if (iedom){cross_marquee=document.getElementById? document.getElementById("iemarquee") : document.all.iemarqueecross_marquee.style.left=parseInt(marqueewidth)+8+"px"cross_marquee.innerHTML=marqueecontentactualwidth=document.all? temp.offsetWidth : document.getElementById("temp").offsetWidth}else if (document.layers){ns_marquee=document.ns_marquee.document.ns_marquee2ns_marquee.left=parseInt(marqueewidth)+8ns_marquee.document.write(marqueecontent)ns_marquee.document.close()actualwidth=ns_marquee.document.width}lefttime=setInterval("scrollmarquee()",20)}window.onload=populate;function scrollmarquee(){if (iedom){if (parseInt(cross_marquee.style.left)>(actualwidth*(-1)+8))cross_marquee.style.left=parseInt(cross_marquee.style.left)-copyspeed+"px"elsecross_marquee.style.left=parseInt(marqueewidth)+8+"px"}else if (document.layers){if (ns_marquee.left>(actualwidth*(-1)+8))ns_marquee.left-=copyspeedelsens_marquee.left=parseInt(marqueewidth)+8}}if (iedom||document.layers){with (document){document.write('')if (iedom){write('')write('')write('')write('')}else if (document.layers){write('')write('')write('')}document.write('')}}Saturday, November 03, 2007 Brother of legendary Nat King Cole to perform at PSC Nov 3, 2007
He also credits Billy Eckstine as a major influence on his life as a musician. After a possible career with the NFL was shelved due to an injury, Freddy began playing and singing in Chicago clubs. (Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune, WV)
Steelers coach's wife has designs on showing off her fashions Oct 5, 2007
Her maternal grandfather, Bobby Tucker, played piano for Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett and Billie Holiday at the height of his career. A sister, Mia Winston of Baltimore, is an artist and a photographer. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
New apartments jazz up Hill Sep 10, 2007
They include native sons Ahmad Jamal, Billy Eckstine and Stanley Turrentine. The building is whimsical in its use of color, with vertical segments of brick hues of apricot, tan and red. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Jazz drummer Art Blakey honored with Pa. historical marker Aug 28, 2007
Blakey was well known for his group, The Jazz Messengers, and for working with singer Billy Eckstine. Blakey was born in 1919 and died in 1990, 15 years before he received a posthumous Grammy award for lifetime achievement. (NEPA News, PA)
By Sally Barber Jul 29, 2007
It s dance floor layered with years of grime and peeling mural walls left no clues as to the talent which once entertained audiences there talent like Count Basie, Billy Eckstine, The Four Tops and others ... W.E.B. DuBois, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine their spirits spread to you. (Cadillac News, MI)
A fixture of the nightclub scene rides off into the sunset. Will there be an encore? Jul 25, 2007
By the late '50s, he was serving as the emcee at Facks 2 on Bush Street in San Francisco, where he appeared on bills with such mainstream acts as Billy Eckstine, Dorothy Dandridge, Della Reese, Johnny Mathis and the Hi-Los. During the '60s, he was a fixture at such African American clubs in Oakland as Esther's, the Showcase and the Sportsman, sharing stages with the likes of Redd Foxx, B.B. King, Lou Rawls and the Whispers. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Stairway to heavenly music Jul 1, 2007
" For 54 years, Brown has been living above the Grill. In fact, she's outlived it. She's seen the best and worst of times for the historic nightspot, which originally opened in 1943. Lately, she's been thinking of moving on. Her two-bedroom apartment doesn't have the appeal it once did, although it still holds many memories. Brown still thinks of her late husband, Leroy Brown, an alto saxophonist who died of cancer in 1988. The living-room wall has a huge photo of Mr. Brown holding his saxophone... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Bravura performance in one-man show at Dobama Jun 15, 2007
In between the storytelling, there is a lot of scratchy period music from Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Billy Eckstine, Dinah Washington and others. A musical refrain of Roy Rogers s Happy Trails to You strikes an ironic note in an embittered son s search for his lost father. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Billy Strayhorn, the prodigy behind Duke Ellington's music Feb 4, 2007
While still in high school, he composed a full-length musical, "Fantastic Rhythm," which was performed for several years with young Billy Eckstine starring. Still a teenager, Strayhorn composed what is arguably his masterpiece, "Lush Life," which not only endures as one of the great songs of the past century but also defines the composer's signature style: achingly interwoven melodies and introspective, haunting lyrics. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Eckstine family says 'son' is imposter Jan 15, 2007
The family of the late U.S. jazz singer Billy Eckstine is set to begin legal proceedings against a man claiming to be his son and performing under that moniker. The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that the man, identified as Freddie House by Eckstine's family, will likely face legal problems for allegedly claiming to be the "My Foolish Heart" singer's son at a series of performances. (Washington Times, DC)
NORM: Eckstine's family says man impostor Jan 14, 2007
Billy Eckstine's family plans legal action ... The family of jazz icon Billy Eckstine is taking legal steps against a Las Vegas man for posing as Eckstine's son ... House insists he is Billy Eckstine's son and has agreed to a DNA test, Eckstine said. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
