Al Hibbler

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Al Hibbler (born August 16, 1915 in Tyro , Mississippi as Albert George Hibbler , † April 24, 2001 in Chicago ) was an American pop and rhythm and blues singer. He sang in the Duke Ellington Orchestra .

Live and act

Al Hibbler was blind from birth . He went to Little Rock ( Arkansas ) to school, where he also sang in the school choir. In Memphis, Tennessee , he won an amateur competition and worked there with local bands; In 1937 he founded his own formation in San Antonio ( Texas ). When asked about his early role models, he named Russ Colombo and Bing Crosby ; he also mentioned the ultra high tenors Pha Terrell and Arthur "The Street Singer" Tracy.

In 1942 he became a member of Jay McShann's band , the next year he moved to Duke Ellington , in whose orchestra he replaced Herb Jeffries . He worked with Ellington for eight years; thereafter (1951) he continued his career as a soloist, u. a. with recordings for Miracle Records , with hits in the R&B charts like “ Trres ”. His most famous songs in the Ellington Band were " I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues " (1944) and " I Like the Sunshine " (1947). During this time he also took part in recordings with Count Basie , Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges ("Believ It, Beloved" on Clef , 1952).

His style is often referred to as rhythm and blues ; Hibbler is more of a traditional pop singer. According to the Ellington biographer JL Collier, he certainly cannot be classified as a real jazz singer. He cites Leonard Feather's assessment that much of Hibbler's popularity at the time was achieved through a use of grotesque distortions, referred to by Duke Ellington as "tonal pantomime", but which was more light music than jazz or pop singing than "Hibbler growls, snarles and grunts whether he had to burp, and his pronunciation sounds as mysterious as London Cockney (... in the Ellington Orchestra) he mostly seemed out of control and crazy, and he found his parallel in the earthy, soulful snort of Tricky Sam Nantons and the blues-like ballad style of Johnny Hodges . "Most of the time he worked for Ellington, he sang near the alto, which enabled Ellington to contrast his voice with alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges and alto Kay Davis (" Ain't Got Nothin 'But the Blues ", 1945). In the 50s his voice leveled off in a baritone range, although he could also descend into a guttural bass range, like in "After the Lights".

In 1954, Hibbler brought out a Verve album with Elligton songs; the following year he moved to Decca . His solo career on the pop market only began in 1955 with his biggest hit " Unchained Melody ". He also had success with the titles " He ", " 11th Hour Melody " and " Never Turn Back " in 1956. " After the Lights Go Low " (1956) was his last chart hit.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Hibbler was an activist in the civil rights movement ; In 1963 he was imprisoned in Alabama for this. These activities affected his singing career because major labels did not want to include him; eventually Frank Sinatra supported him and gave him a contract on his record label Reprise Records . Nevertheless, Hibbler only made a few records in the early 1970s, but performed live until the 1990s. In 1972 he contributed four tracks to Roland Kirk's Atlantic album A Meeting of the Times .

Selection discography

  • Al Hibbler: After the Lights Go Down Slow (Atlantic)
  • Al Hibbler with Harry Carney's All Stars .: Rare Dates without the Duke 1944/49 (Raretone)
  • Duke Ellington: Carnegie Hall Concert, December 1944 (Prestige)
  • Duke Ellington: Carnegie Hall Concert, January 1946 (Prestige)
  • Duke Ellington: Carnegie Hall Concert, December 1947 (Prestige)
  • Duke Ellington: Live at Click Restaurant Philadelphia 1948, Vol 2 (Raretone)
  • Duke Ellington: Live at Click Restaurant Philadelphia 1949, Vol 4 (Raretone)
  • Jay McShann: 1941-1943 (Classics)

Secondary literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ L. Feather Encyclopedia of Jazz ; quoted after Collier, p. 359
  2. ↑ Quoted from Will Friedwald, p. 190 f.
personal data
SURNAME Hibbler, Al
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hibbler, Albert George (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 16, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Tyro , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH April 24, 2001
Place of death Chicago