Ray had no formal training in music, nor any professional experience, however Miller hired him. In hopes of stepping out of his brother shadow, Ray changed the spelling of his last name to Eberle. Miller helped coach Ray and featured him on many of the band's Chesterfield cigarette's radio broadcasts. His handsome looks and dedication to the Miller songbook became a perfect fit with the bands style. His songs sold millions, including "At Last" and "Moonlight Cocktails."

In 1942, Ray turned up late one day for a Miller band rehearsal. As Ray walked in the door Glenn said, "you're fired", with no further explaination and no further conversation. In later years, Glenn told interviewers that Ray's persistant drinking and late arrivals were the reason for the firing. In his book Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, author Geoge T. Simon quoted Ray as saying that "he quit the band and his main beef with Glenn was over money, the guys in the band were getting $50 per week against his $35". However, Simon went on to say that ".....there were other reasons given by members of the orchestra why Ray was fired."

He joined the Gene Krupa band in 1942 and shortly thereafter entered the Army. In 1943, he landed some acting jobs in Hollywood (most notably, "Follow The Band" and "This Is The Life"), all the while working as a soloist. Shortly after his military service ending in 1945 he formed his own band.

The Ray Eberle band featured Glenn Miller style arrangements and often played big hits from the Miller book. The band formed it's own style with the talented arranger Billy Maxted. The band continued to play into the mid 1950's.

In later years he made countless TV appearances and in 1970 joined Tex Beneke's (Glenn Miller) band on a tour of the United States. In the mid 1970's his band appeared at the Sahara and Desert Inn in Las Vegas, the bands last appearance was at Madison Square Garden in 1978.

Ray Eberle was 60 years old when he died of a heart attack on August 28, 1979. Bob Eberly died in November 1981 at the age of 65. The two brothers names have recently been associated with the Society of Singers (SOS). The SOS is a non-profit organization established to assist in housing and medical bills for professional singers, especially those from the Big Band Era who may not have had a record contract. The two brothers recorded songs that made millions of dollars, but sadly, both died penniless.
Above notes by Mr. Dan DelFiorentino

   [ Gus C. Edwards and the Terrace Garden Orch. ]
né: August Caldwell Edwards.
Currently no information available on this band that was active in the late 1920s. In private correspondence, Ms. Dianne Tuggle, his cousin, has mentioned that she has two pieces of sheetmusic referring to Gus. One is the song "There's A Cradle In Caroline" published by Waterson, Berlin and Snyder in 1927, -his picture is on the front with the title "Terrace Garden Orchestra". The other is "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", published also in 1927 by Jerome Remick Co., also with his picture on the front page. The band was heard on Radio, and later worked as 'Gus Edwards and His Girls", - indicating perhaps that he also led an "All-Girl" dance band. Gus seems to have faded from view about 1946, - just about the time the Big Bands era also faded.
Among his recordings are:
    Alabama Stomp, Gus C. Edwards Orch. Victor 20230
    Monte Carlo Joys, Gus C. Edwards Orch. Victor 20207
    I'll Fly to Hawaii Gus C. Edwards and His Orch. Victor 20167
    Brown Eyes Why Are You Blue? (Geo. W. Meyer - Al. Bryan - Henry Waterson, Inc. 1925)
Sammy Friedman, the banjoist with Gus' band also had a recording released. A rather interesting combination of banjo playing classical music:
    Excerpts From POET AND PEASANT OVERTURE (Von Suppe) played by Sammy Friedman of the
       Gus C. Edwards' Orchestra Banjo Solo Piano Acc. Gennett 5729-A Matrix: 12194
    SEXTETTE FROM LUCIA Donizetti Gennett 5729-B Matrix: 12195 Sammy Friedman of the
       Gus C. Edwards' Orchestra Banjo Solo Piano Acc.,

   [ Dean Elliott Orch. ]
Currently no information available.
Elliott is one of the studio conductor/arrangers of the 'Easy Listening' era (1950's - 1980's). He scored such films as 'The Phantom Tollbooth', 'College Confidential' and 'Sex Kittens Go to College'. He also scored 'The Cat in the Hat', a 1960's television version of the Dr. Seuss story. Along the way, he managed to produce one album that achieved some popularity. "Zounds! What Sounds?" which created audio cartoons by mixing sound effects and Raymond Scott-like music.
Recordings
Heartstrings, Capitol ST-1864
Zounds! What Sounds?, Capitol ST-1834

   [ Charlie Elgar Orch ]
b. June 13, 1885, Leader/Violinist. d. August 19, 1973
At age 12, Elgar began studying the violin, and subsequently went on to study music at the Medard Academy, Marquette University and the Coleridge Taylor School of Music. In 1903. he was a member of the Bloom Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 'teens', he moved to Chicago, where he led both his own quintet for a residency at the Fountain Inn (1911), and a 15-piece band (Charlie Elgar's Creole Orchestra,) that played at ' Dreamland.', and other such venues. Elgar then became a member of Will Marion Cook's 'Southern Syncopated Orchestra', that toured Europe. When Cook returned to Chicago, Elgar resumed leading his own groups in Chicago, and also in Milwaukee, WI. In the 1930s, with advancing age, and changing musical tastes, he began spending more time as a teacher.

   [ Les Elgart Orch ]
b. Aug. 1, 1918, USA. d. July 29, 1995, Dallas, TX, USA. (Heart Failure)
In Theme: "Heart of My Heart"
Out Theme: "I'll See You in My Dreams"
Here's a photograph of Les Elgart, who played Trumpet, and here's one of his brother Larry Elgart, who played the Sax.
In 1941, Les had played trumpet with the Raymond Scott band. (Ben Webster was on Tenor, Benny Morton on T'Bone; Tony Mattola on Guitar; Israel Crosby on Bass, and Specs Powell on Drums.) Also in the 1941 to 1942 period, he had played lead trumpet with the Charley Spivak Orchestra, alongside Bunny Berigan and Hal McIntyre.

Larry played in the Bobby Byrne Band in 1946, where Charles Albertine was the arranger. Larry also had played with the Jerry Wald Orchestra.

Their original band, called 'The Les and Larry Elgart Orchestra', was formed in 1945. Bill Finegan and Nelson Riddle did the arranging. (Nick Travis was another fine young trumpeter in the band.) Brother Les seemed somewhat lethargic to the public, while Brother Larry was the spirited, colorful one, playing an enthusiastic sax. The band began to look to him for leadership. Due to this conflict between the two brothers, the band split up. However the big band era was ending, and bookings were becoming scarce. Soon the two resolved their differences and re-organized their orchestra.

The 1952/53 edition of the band did better than the original 1945 group, thanks largely to a Columbia Records contract, and their many college appearances. The arrangements by Charles Albertine helped.

   [ Eddie Elkins Orch. ]
b. February 15, 1897, San Francisco, California, USA, d. October 6, 1984, New York, NY, USA.
Please also see the information on the Eddie Elkins Orch./, in our "Dance Bands" page for some more information on this band.
Californian by birth, this violinist and leader found fame in New York city during his long 1920s tenure at the 'Knickerbocker Grill'. In New York, Elkins appeared (in 1922) at the Knickerbocker Grill and the Pavillion Royal Hotel (Valley Stream, Long Island, NY). Here's a photo (source unknown) of Eddie's 10 piece band, (taken outside the Pavillon Royal, in 1922), showing (L-R) Loren McMurray, George Vaughn, Charles Strickfadden, W.E. "Jack" Frost, Thomas Swift (piano and baritone horn), George Marsh, Eddie Elkins, Matt E. Grogan, Joseph Colling, George Crozier. Even though playing in New York, all the members of his band were native Californians. (A 1922 press release noted that some of his sidemen had previously played with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra.) Between 1921 and 1925, his 10 piece band was recorded several times by the Columbia label.

An interesting sidenote is that saxophonist Loren McMurray, was an early pioneer of that instrument. He recorded with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra as part of the band, and as a member of Paul Whiteman's "Saxophone Sextet". McMurray also led his own band, "McMurray's California Thumpers", which was recorded many times by the Gennett label.

As a result of his popularity in New York, the Hollywood studios lured Elkins back home where he eventually was seen in a total of 7 films - all made between 1929 and 1930, and always playing himself as the orchestra leader. In April 1934, he made his last recordings for 'Perfect Records' ("All I Do Is Dream Of You". and "May I?").

  VIDEO: "Eddie Elkins Orchestra"   with Thelma White dancing and singing. 1930 (film clip: GoodOldDays ):
( Thelma White -- b. Dec. 4, 1910, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, d. Jan. 11, 2005, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA. (pneumonia). Age: 94. née: Thelma Wolpa, the daughter of itinerant carnival actors. )

Eddie's films included:
1929
       A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic
       Big Time Charlie
       Syncopated Trial

1930
       Ride 'em Cowboy
       A Night in a Dormitory
       Sixteen Sweeties
       The Beauty Spot

   [ Duke Ellington Orch. ]
b. April 29, 1899 Washington, D.C., USA. d. May 24, 1974, New York, NY, USA.
Theme Songs:
Early On: "East St. Louis Toodle-oo"
Later On: "Take the "A" Train"
Note: So much has been written about the Duke, that we will only provide a few additional notes.
Edward Kennedy Ellington was called 'Duke' for his wit and elegance. In 1916, Edward Kennedy Ellington, the son of a butler, made his professional début in 1923, when he came to New York City (together with Otto Hardwick and Sonny Greer), where he got a job playing with the Elmer Snowden Orchestra, at the Hollywood Inn, off Broadway in the Times Square district. When the bandsmen discovered that Snowden was not splitting the money correctly, they ousted him and elected Ellington as the new Leader. The Hollywood Inn was a small 'joint', and owned by disreputable people. Somewhat airless, the club had to be closed down during the summertime due to the intense heat inside. Accordingly, the owners would often arrange to have a convenient "fire" during the summertime, when the club was closed. They would then use the insurance money to rebuild the club for a new opening. In 1925 or '26, after just such a fire, the club was rebuilt and re-opened as the Washington Club, and the Ellington band was now called the Washingtonians. Still later in the 1920s, his trumpeter, Bubber Miley (who co-wrote 'Black and Tan Fantasie'), invented the band's 'jungle style' rhythm. It was Bubber's 'freak' trumpet playing that attracted attention to the band recording in 1927 and afterward. A month after this recording, Ellington's band opened at New York's Cotton Club on 4th December 1927 (Here's a photo of his 1927 Cotton Club Orch.) They stayed there until 1932, when their level of success permitted then to tour Europe for the first time in 1933. They were now famous internationally.

By 1927, he had also become involved with band agent Irving Mills, who signed Ellington to a contract that gave Mills 50% of Ellington's earnings and 55% of any song royalties due to Ellington's compositions. It was Mills who managed to get Ellington booked into the Cotton Club, and where his music first became known as "Jungle style". Some of his recordings at this time credit him as 'Duke Ellington and the Jungle Band'.
Notes regarding the "Jungle Band". The 1920s to early 1930 years were a very colorful time in American music and film history! Hollywood was turning our such films as 'King Kong' and the early 'Tarzan' movies. Meanwhile, 'Tin Pan Alley' was also turning out such songs as "Jungle Jamboree" 1920, "Babes in the Jungle" 1926, "The Jungle Rhythum" 1929, and "Call of the Jungle", plus others. Many of the Harlem clubs also followed this "Jungle" theme. So it was quite natural for some orchestras, including Ellington's, to also adopt the "Jungle" theme. A reader has sent in this interesting, but regretably uncredited, photo of some Jungle Chorus Girls
Special note: Trumpeter Bubber Miley used a rubber mute (the suction cup of a plumber's helper) to create a 'wah-wah effect. This was new and was taken up by the trombone player, Joe ("Tricky Sam") Nanton.

Among the singers who appeared with the band were Adelaide Hall (if you've not heard her singing, you've really missed something special), Ivie Anderson (11 years), Ray Nance, and Kay Davis.
(The above notes contributed by Alan Popow.)

Adelaide Hall was one of the chorines in the old Cotton Club. One day while the Duke was rehearsing the band for "Creole Love Call", he overheard Adelaide humming an obligato to the melody. The Duke heard it and asked her to do it in front of the band and on a recording. It became one of his biggest hits.

Ellington's crack team grouped in the 1920s as a band with a common interest: drinking. During prohibition, the bandleader later recalled he and his team laying into everything: kerosene, fermented apple juice, bathtub gin... Strange that this rough group would later evolve into one of the definitive jazz voices of the '30s and '40s, after Ellington assumed a leadership role and subsequently discovered a knack for writing. The Duke knew how to score around his band's respective talents, and it was under his tutelage that many great jazz names developed their craft. Notables include "growl" trumpeter Bubber Miley (replaced after his death by Cootie Williams), baritone saxist Harry Carney, alto Johnny Hodges, clarinetist Barney Bigard and trombonists "Tricky" Sam Nanton and Juan Tizol (who also composed some of Ellington's greatest hits). Ellington's Tenor sax man was Paul Gansalves, who had first joined the Count Basie orchestra upon his discharge from the U. S. Army after WWII. He then joined the Duke (replacing Ben Webster) and stayed with Ellington continuously for 24 years. Many Ellington sidemen went on to front their own projects, but none were able to recall the creative heights they'd reached with the Duke.

Ellington maintained a progressive outlook throughout his career; many of his original bandmates continued to share his vision and stayed with him for more than three decades. Some of his best work was in collaboration with arranger Billy Strayhorn, whose adventurous sense of chord voicings blended seamlessly with that of the Duke's and created some of the most enduring work of this century.
(Thanks to Mr Chas. Mohnike for the above two paragraphs.)

The Duke went on to write a great group of swing classics, as well as some "serious" music. (Black and Tan Fantasy, Harlem Airshaft, Sophisticated Lady, with Mitchell Parrish lyric, etc.)

[ Mercer Ellington Orch.
b: March 11, 1919, Washington, D. C. USA. d: Feb. 8, 1996, New York, NY, USA.
Mercer Ellington was 'Duke' Ellington's only child. He attended Columbia University, The Juillard School of Music, and then studied with Schillinger at New York University. While still in his early 20s, he wrote several compositions for the Duke Ellington orchestra, the most famous of which was "Things Ain't What They Used to Be", and "Blue Serge". Among his other compositions are "Moon Mist" and "The Girl In My Dreams". In 1939, he formed his first band which included Dizzy Gillespie, Calvin Jackson, Clark Terry, with arrangements by Billy Strayhorn (before he began arranging for the Duke). During WWII, from 1943-'45, he served in the U. S. Army, mostly in an Army band then led by Sy Oliver. In 1949, he again formed his own band, with Duke's grudging agreement, which included "Butch" Ballard and Wendell Marshall, both of whom later served in the Duke's band. Carmen McRae handled the vocals. The band was a commercial failure though it was praised in the Jazz magazines. In 1950, Mercer played E-Flat horn with Duke's band, and also managed his own record laber between 1950-'52. In 1953, Mercer tried his hand at several endeavors including salesman, and disk-jockey. In 1954, he toured with Cootie Williams as road manager as well as playing trumpet. From 1955-'59, he served as Duke's general assistant. In October 1959, he again formed his own band for a gig at New York's Birdland club. During 1958-'59, he put together some all-stars groups (mostly Duke Ellington men) for a series of two Coral LPs. He took over the band after Duke's death. Mercer was the father of Mercedes Ellington, the dancer and choreographer. He led the pit band for the New York musical 'Sophisticated Ladies'.
The Big Bands Database Plus thanks Mr. Joe Adams for this entry on Mercer Ellington.

[ Baron Elliott Orch. ]
b. Dec. 3, 1914, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
né: Charles Craft
Played: Clarinet; Alto and Soprano Saxophone
Theme: "Stardust" (Musicraft 15010)
Tag: "Baron Elliott and His Stardust Melodies"
Here's a photograph of the Baron Elliott Orch., (reproduced here through the courtesy of Mr. J. Ricchuito.)
Charles Craft got his first working job with the Herbert Fristche Orchestra in Pittsburgh while attending Alleghany High School. During his senior year he formed a dance band which became popular playing at local dances. Wanting to create a stage name for himself he took the name Baron Elliott by drawing it out of a hat filled with names thought up by his sidemen. Within a year of graduating the band was signed to a contract by the MCA booking agency and played regularly throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. In 1935 they became the staff orchestra for radio station WJAS in Pittsburgh. Playing on this station spread the bands fame to Indiana and Illinois. In 1940 Elliott's band became the staff orchestra for WCAE, the Mutual Network station in Pittsburgh. He remained there until drafted in May 1943.

Baron Elliott was assigned to the Army Entertainment Division and formed a band which, although it did not have the big-name sidemen and notoriety of Glenn Millers AAF band, was of a high quality. Members came from many civilian bands, including Nathan Rueben (from Tommy Tucker), Charlie Mandra (from Charlie Spivak), Larry Triguero (from Louis Prima) and Bobby Sims and Joseph Susi (both from Bobby Sherwood). In December 1943 the band was transferred overseas. They landed on Omaha Beach just days after D-Day and records show they gave almost 600 performances throughout the European front. They played at Malmedy just before the Battle of the Bulge started and, as they were still in the area when the fighting began, were issued weapons and fought alongside the infantry. Elliott and several band members received military decorations for their role in combat during this battle. The band returned stateside in June 1945 and Elliott was discharged shortly thereafter.

He returned to WCAE in 1946 remaining there 1951 when the station decided it no longer needed a staff orchestra. The band continued to play throughout the Mid-West with its base being Pittsburgh. In the mid-1950s the band had a television show on KDKA in Pittsburgh. It continued to operate until Elliott retired in 1981. He currently resides in Port Charlotte, Florida.

Among the notables that worked with Baron Elliott are Billy May, who played trumpet in 1938-39 and Sammy Nestico, who did the arrangements and also played trombone from 1956-58. Lisa Kirk, who had a number of pop hits in the 1950s and later became well-known as a star of Broadway musicals was given her start by Elliott.
The band recorded for Decca, Musicraft and National.
This information on Baron Elliott is excerpted from an article by Joseph E. Bennett (and kindly forwarded by Mr. Robin Lenhart).

   [ The Don Ellis Orch. ]
Don Ellis died in 1978 of heart complications. A very well read and highly intelligent man. His family wanted him to go into banking. But music won out. His instruments were (during the course of time) trumpet, flugelhorn, four valve trumpet and firebird valve/slide trumpet, slide trombone, piano and drums.

A student of the legendary Freddy Gruber. he played 'straight' with Marterie, Miller, McKinley, Herman, Ferguson, Mingus. He also had outrageous third Stream tendencies in the 50s - 60s, which got him good and bad and press. Actually, he was getting to the intellectuals via George Russell. These recording are are much revered but a little to close to the edge for me.

In the early sixties he started a reherasal band in LA at a club called Bonesville. His fans campaigned for him to appear at Monterey (on album) the impact was fabulous. The band was different! Basically a traditional big band, Don added two more bull fiddles and a drummer and percussionist. Apart from his electronic bug on his horn, the band was basically accoustic. The music used 7/4, 9/4, 11/4 etc. time signatures.

Interesting to note a later comment by Kenton writer Hank Levey, who also wrote in odd meters, that Don's music was not written in (e.g) 7/4, but that the music was created and the meter evolved from the music. About right, - as and when others write in exotic meters you tend to get the impression that someone is saying 'hey guys I'm playing in 7/4.

Ellis, ever restless, changed his band's configuration several times, in spite of success. It went rock/electronic in the 70s and finished up with the ultimate sound when an amplified string section evolved. I urge you to listen to LIVE AT MONTREUX and TEARS OF JOY before you condemn. This is the band at is awesome exciting best. These should be re-issued. One must challenge SONY/CBS and ATLANTIC not to lose these gems. His 'accoustic' band is heard to its best advanage on SHOCK TREATMENT, LIVE AT MONTEREY and LIVE IN THREE AND TWO THIRDS OVER FOUR -TIME.

Don died and his music went to MESQUITE COLLEGE in Dallas where there is a Don Ellis Museum. His music is available for study. There was an attempt to re-create the band BUT unless you are a MILLER or JAMES revival band in LA you can't get an audience, so it did not happen.

Two recent CD's, INDIAN LADY and AUTUMN, have appeared on SONY/CBS. There have been attempts to create a band outside the USA. All are well meant but - not so good. Messing about messes about the memories and perhaps discourages new converts. MA selection of the music is available from UNIVERSITY OF NORTH COLORADO JAZZ PRESS.
The notes on Don Ellis kindly contributed by J.R.Killoch.

   [ Seger Ellis & his Choir of Brass Orch ]
B: July 4, 1904 Houston, TX, USA. D: Sept. 29, 1995 Houston, TX, USA.
Played: Piano; vocals
Seger Ellis, whose career began in 1921 when radio station KPRC (Houston) hired him to broadcast a weekly show of solo piano music. In 1925, Victor Records came to Houston to record the Lloyd Finlay Orchestra. They wanted to record eight sides however Finlay had only four original songs. The Victor representative had brought two new songs with him and to fill in the remaining sides Finlay suggested Seger Ellis be brought in to record with the band. These two songs, "Mama" and "You'll Want Me Back Some Day" so impressed Victor management they brought Ellis to their Camden (NJ) recording studios in August 1925 to record fourteen more songs. They were among the first Victor recordings done using an electric microphone. Although only four were ever released, two became hit records ("Prairie Blues" and "Sentimental Blues").

Shortly after returning to Texas, Columbia asked Ellis to make his first vocal recording. He eventually became OKeh records most popular male vocalist. Many of his Okeh recordings feature jazz arrangements with studio groups that in- cluded Eddie Lang, Mugsy Spanier, Tommy Dorsey, Mannie Klein, Joe Venuti and Louis Armstrong.

In 1930 he was hired to do a nightly show on radio station WLW in Cincinnati. While there he discovered the Mills Brothers and became their first manager.

He went to Hollywood in 1934 to make a few movie shorts and while there was a frequent guest on Paul Whiteman's radio show. In late 1935 he formed his first big band. Instead of the usual reed section the band featured eight brass instuments and one clarinetist. The band became known as "The Choir Of Brass". Spud Murphy did most of the arrangements. Nate Kaziber, who like Murphy would later work with Benny Goodman, was one of the original brass section. Irving Fazola joined as clarinetist in 1937. The band made a series of recordings for Decca and appeared at Hollywood's First Swing Concert (May 1937) along with the Jimmy Dorsey, Earl Hines, Jimmie Grier, Ray Noble and Louis Prima bands. In 1939 Ellis reorganized and his new band featured the conventional four-man reed section. He disbanded in 1941 and enlisted in the Army-Air Force in 1942. Irene Taylor, his wife, was his female vocalist. She had previously sung with Paul Whitman's band, being the first woman hired by Whiteman.

Ellis devoted the remiander of his music career to songwriting. Among his many compositions are "My Beloved Is Rugged" and "11:60PM" (both recorded by Harry James), "Gene's Boogie" (recorded by Gene Krupa), and "Little Jack Frost, Get Lost" and "You're All I Want For Christmas" (both recorded by Bing Crosby). "December" was recorded by Count Basie with a Mills Brothers vocal.

Seger Ellis retired and took up residence in Texas. He died in a Houston retirement home on September 29, 1995. He was 91 years old.
These notes on Seger Ellis contributed by Mr. Robin Lenhart.

   [ Billy Eckstine Orch ]
b. July 8, 1914, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. d. March 8, 1993 Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Known as: "Mr. B"
Theme: "A Cottage For Sale" (rec. 1945- National 9014)
Eckstine first worked as a vocalist with the Tommy Myles band which was based in Washington, D.C. where Billy was attending school. While with the Myles band he won a singing contest at the Howard Theater which eventually led him to a job in Chicago. It was there in 1939, while working at the Club DeLisa, that Earl Hines asked him to join his band. He worked with Hines as a vocalist and member of the trumpet section and remained with him until 1943. It was Eckstine and his friend Budd Johnson who convinced Hines to hire Sarah Vaughan and Charlie Parker.

After leaving Hines, Eckstine freelanced for a time and then, with Budd Johnson's help, formed his own band (June 1944) and hired Vaughn, Parker and Dizzy Gillespie away from Earl Hines. His band featured many very talented jazz musicians but although it recorded extensively, they made few instrumental recordings leaving an incomplete picture of the real quality of the band. Here's a photo of the 1946 Billy Eckstine Orch. As the big band era came to an end, economics forced Eckstine to disband, in 1947.

He resumed a solo career and had many hit recordings for MGM Records (1947-1954), among them "Blue Moon", "My Foolish Heart" and "I Wanna Be Loved", and perhaps his biggest hit "I Apologize". He continued recording into the 1960's, returning to his jazz roots in 1959 with the Lp "Basie and Eckstine, Inc.". His last recording was an Lp made in 1986 for Verve titled "Billy Eckstine Sings With Benny Carter".

Vocalists included:
     Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan Sidemen included:
     Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis,
     Kenny Durham, Ray Linn (trumpets)
     Trummy Young, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon,
     Sonny Stitt, Wardell Gray (saxophones)
     Art Blakey (drums) Arranger:
     Todd Dameron Recorded for:
     National (big band)
     MGM, Mercury, Roulette, EmArcy, Motown, Verve