Black Horizons; 2534; Tribute to Mr. B

One of Pittsburgh's greatest jazz legends, Billy Eckstein, was a headliner all over the world, known simply as Mr. B. He was a swath of handsome balladier who charmed audiences with his music and his heart -thrown goodness. Black Horizons proudly presents a trip to Billy Eckstein. Hello and welcome to a special Black Horizons, I'm Chris Moore. Billy Eckstein and Jerry Betters were friends. Jerry looked up to Billy so much so that he patterned much of his style and career on what Billy Eckstein did before him. Most of us here in Pittsburgh know just how similar they are, but the proof is in the singing. Here's Mr. B's alter ego, Jerry Betters. Here's a pretty sound written by Mr. Billy Eckstein. Pretty one. Come

closer and let me tell you how to feel. You're the rainbow. A beautiful smile. Oh, just in here. Beautiful music. Here's a pretty sound written by Mr. Billy

Eckstein. Here's a pretty sound written by Mr. Billy Eckstein. Here's a pretty sound written by Mr. Billy Eckstein. Thank you, thank you so much.

I think as you can see Jerry did pattern himself a little bit at least after Mr. B, right? Yeah, it's close as I could get to him. Well, that's not a bad pattern to emulate, I guess. He really set the standard back in a time when it was really tough for Black entertainers. That's a standard for diction style the way he carried himself and not letting himself be belittled when it came to movie offers or any other performing gigs. He turned a lot of them down because of that, you know. He wouldn't play the game. He could have been a lot bigger than he was, but that's pretty hard to say, but he was. He just wouldn't play that time, all. Give me an example, you wouldn't play that time. Well, like him and Betty Grable and Harry James are very good friends. So they caught him up to make a movie with him, which they were very sincere. So when B got to the studio, they gave him a red cap outfit and he said, I'm sorry, he says. Then he's put the carry -down daily bags and stuff like that. So Betty Grable

and Harry James, they got to kick out because they knew what he would do, you know. You guys were good friends. You got along together, he used to come here and he would stay at your house, all kinds of stuff. We spent three years and one night, man. All night long. I guess you can't tell us everything. I wish I could. One of the things I really liked about him, some of the old photographs of him I've seen is just how suave and debonet he was. He was a man for his time. There was an image of style. I think he gave us all something to look forward to, you know. He didn't do the shuffle and stuff like that. He was just a very clean and intelligent man, very intelligent. One of the things you told me he had taught you was about how he carried himself. The style, the dress, the diction, all that. He told me a story, he said when he started out, he said he went out and performed. And a little comedian opened up for him and everybody was

talking while I was singing. So when he came back to dressing, he was angry, he was so mad, you know. And so this little comedian told him, he said, I wouldn't listen to you. He said, look at your spot on your pants. He said, you're not even clean. He said from that day on, you know, he was sharp dressed with his life, man. Because once you learn that, it's important to know who you've got it and you're going. I think so. Yeah. There was one other thing that you had told me about the way that he carried himself that said a particular standard for entertainers of that time. Why is it that so many guys would sell out? That was the story of him singing a love song to the famous swimming star as the Williams. At that time, I don't think they wanted a black ballad deal. He was ahead of his time. It was all right for Frank Sinatra and people like that to sing. But black men wasn't put to sing about love, you know. He put to sing the blues, you know. What about this story with Esther Williams and singing in the movie? Well, he's put to sing Tester Williams in the nightclub scene. I think it was called Here Come The Waves. And so when he came up to sing his song, there's the

Williams. The director told him, don't sing directly at Esther Williams. You sing over her head. The one he's showing down south. And really loud about it, but he did. He's saying that's the way it really was, you know. You know, the video that you've seen so far was recorded right here at WQED back in July of 1964 on one of Mr. B's return trips to Pittsburgh. The program was called Jazz Beat and was hosted by Norman Stein. He asked me how his career began. I started on an amateur show in Washington, but a lot of my early days was spent right here in Pittsburgh. Tell us about some of the places you played. And I think you know what I'm getting at here. Well, some of the spots where I started out working here in Pittsburgh, they're not there anymore. As a matter of fact, the streets not even there anymore. It was on Wally Avenue in a little club called the Harlem Bar. And as you know, there is no Wally Avenue in that particular section anymore. The new arena has taken over all of that part of it. So you know about this bar, the Harlem Bar. When you were

a weak kid, you managed to break the age. I was very young. Of course, Bobby Bosso took me in. He was older than me. Well, Pittsburgh really was something as far as being a jazz town in that time, wasn't it? I certainly was. We had the Crawford Grill, which is probably one of the greatest jazz clubs in the whole world. I was living in New York. When they said, well, you're from, you said, Pittsburgh. And they said, well, did you ever work the Crawford Grill? If you said yes, then you were in. Now, you told me you went to New York one time. And Billy Eckstein was singing in the club. You were sitting ringside. Yeah, I was. And he sort of passed you the mic. Well, he did that quite a bit of time. But I was at the blue note in New York. And Billy used to get a kick out of here and walk by. And he'd be singing a song through the mic down to me. And I would finish the song out. He would be looking around and see who was singing. And he'd say everybody in Pittsburgh has a baritone voice like that. Everybody, yeah. Well, I hope you'll pardon the way the next cut looks. There's some break up on the end of it. But it's worth hearing. And seeing his Norman Stein asked

Billy about his singing style. Well, frankly, I started out singing or imitating Cab Calloway. And at that particular time, I wasn't thinking solely of trying to get a style of my own. I think it all just fell in. As my voice changed after I got out of my teens and it started getting lower and lower, I couldn't holler like I used to. So I just went into the ballad type of singing. At that time, Bing Crosby was very popular. And there was a certain amount of inspiration also for singing a ballad that I got from him. And I don't know. I never concentrated on making a definite style norm. It just, this is the way it came out. You know, the greatest inspiration when I was a kid coming up was listening to Billy Eckstein. And he epitomized everything I think the young singer should do. So we're going to do a melody of Billy Eckstein's songs. And I hope he's track a

few of the favorites. And I hope he's a great singer. And I hope he's a great singer. And I hope he's a great singer. And I hope he's a great singer. And I hope he's a great singer. And so I see. There's day you there. If there's a chance of me. Then I don't care.

But I'm full. We're wise men never go. We're wise men never far. So far as I know. We're wise men never go. I've been my life again. So far as I know. And I hope he's a great singer. The

night is like a light Beware of the sun In how I ever constantly move Take care of who you are There's a light between all of us As a nation, that's what I'm going to say And even in such a day But we both give and say When you're alive in the magic of a kid Where am

I still close to you? Take care of who you are But should I Then lay the fire still? Oh, this time it is a fascination Our dream that will fade Oh, but it's love This time it's love, my boy Oh, this time it is a fascination Our little dream castle Everything

gone They're all in silence We're all young In my heart As I give A cutie will stay Long we were proud of turning That little dream party And we were born Where we planted all Those little wings They seem to see There's a cutie for us To every single window Where we're born Where we're

born Where we're born Where we're born Where we're born The keys in the mail box The same as before The one who's waiting for me Anymore Here in my store He's told I'm the God Our cutie's built for me and you But never be a dream come true Lead you on the good And oh, oh she's With you Here's a cutie

for us Thank you very much Thank you so much Thank you I've got the world on the street Sitting on the rainbow Got the street around my figure What a world, what a life Even I'm home I've got a soul I can sing Well, I can do it Yeah, it's time I'm home I'll figure it out Look at me, can you see I'm in love Life's wonderful Long as I was here I've been still in so and so

If I should ever let it go Ah, I've got the world on the street Sitting on the rainbow Got the street around my figure Look at me, can you see I'm in love I've got a soul I can sing Here Here The world The world The world The world That's it now Life is beautiful As long as I was here I've been still in so and so If

I should ever let's go I've been a world of dreams Said I'll be low Y 'all just dream Around my fingers What a life, what a world I've been low I've got a world on the street Cause I'm in love Yeah Thank you so much I hear it's Billy X9's big tune It's one cost of so much money If I tool We have a really good car Wish I record this Yeah, that's a good one I'm sorry From the

bottom Yeah If I could I'd love to play I'd love to play I must have been insane Believe me Give me another chance From the bottom I'll be free You should Bye Every lie Don't get it I've been unfairly Believe me Give me Don't say that you forgot about Every lie

After all we were born So give me back Yours Give me back Give me one more chance Give me From the bottom I'll be free From the bottom Thank you so much Thank you Thank you This program would not be complete if we did not show you at least one cut from that 1964 jazz beat of Billy X9 singing Here he is doing a Duke Ellington standard called Don't Get Around Much Anymore Mr.

Saturday Jack Heard they crowded the floor I couldn't bear it without you Don't get around much any more Thought I'd visit the club Got as far as the door They all asked me about you Don't get around much any more Don't get again My mind's moody But nevertheless Why stir up memories Been invited on stage Might have gone but what for It's awfully different Without you Don't get around

much any more Yeah Yeah You used to gas in the van Under Congress drums and all the vocations That you ever missed a John Hale or John Hale Thank you John Hale performs down to Carpet Grill every Friday afternoon And on the vocations He's my favorite He just does everything I want him to do up here Mr. John Smith The law says you got a higher one and that's what we did We searched around till we find the right one too Our pianist composed in a ranger Mr. Leo Donald on the Steinway Leo Donald When R .E. Shy is our smile And last but not least, my associate now For at least

35 years Been hanging out together He's our last two wives A whole lot of girlfriends He's been with Louis Jordan Stan Kent And I really appreciate the last artist he was with Ms. Billy Holliday Say hello to Pittsburgh's finest Mr. Bobby Buzz This is what we call Cool Porter Shining Oh, I've got you I've got you deep in a heart of me So deep that you're really a part of me Because I've got you under my own skin Then I try not to give in I said to myself It's a fairy that ain't gonna swing too well I wonder why I resist when

baby I know And how that I have got you under my skin I wouldn't sacrifice anything I can come over my blood and save you How you near I have a heart and a voice It comes in the night in my ear Don't you know Little boy you've never been with You're mentality I wake up To reality But every time I do The thought of you makes me stop Any challenging audience? This is the way the Blue 얹 Italian was singing Before I began being I get no kid from that mirror, alcohol, doesn't thrill me at all, so tell me why should it be true? Smitty, I ain't get up,

kick out of you Some like their perfume from Spain And I'm sure that it is I enjoy this special, I'm the last one to meet the Billy X -Tie I'm both more wishing you well and here's Jerry better to take us home But however I get a kick out of you I get a kick Every time I see you standing there before me I still get a kick But it's my new plan to see that you obviously You just don't adore me, let me hear you but you don't Because I get no kick in a plane Why

is it all happening? With a girl in the sky, it's my idea of nothing to do Because you know that I get a kick Oh, wonderful Baby, I get a kick out of you Nice and easy, doesn't Nice and easy, doesn't Nice and easy, doesn't every time Mr. Wonderful, Mr. Wonderful It's here, Mr. Wonderful Chris Moore, that's you Thank you so much, thank you very much You're beautiful, thank you Hey, let's kill the audience applause, they're very

great Thank you very much, thank you very much Thank you very much, thank you very much Jordan, please light me in the background And they'll get a wide shot, you know, do it right now They'll let it come in red Thank you very much

Thank you very much You