King Pleasure
King Pleasure (born March 24, 1922 as Clarence Beeks in Oakdale , Tennessee , † March 21, 1981 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American jazz singer .
Life
King Pleasure grew up in Cincinnati . In 1949 he won a competition at the Apollo Theater in New York City , which opened a rapid career for him. His recording of Moody's Mood for Love, a vocal version of James Moody's solo on I'm in the Mood for Love from 1949 by Eddie Jefferson (the vocalese pioneer ) , became a hit in the United States in 1952. His popularization of so-called vocalizing, which the vocal formation Lambert, Hendricks & Ross also took over, brought him the victory of the down-beat poll in 1953 . King Pleasure then worked out vocal versions of Parker's Mood (also based on a model by Jefferson) and solos by Stan Getz and Illinois Jacquet . After further recordings until the early 1960s, he then lived largely withdrawn on the west coast.
Discography (selection)
- King Pleasure Sings / Annie Ross Sings (1958)
- Golden Days (1960)
- Moody's Mood for Love (Blue Note, CD 1992)
literature
- Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 1: A – L (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16512). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16512-0 .
Web links
- Works by and about King Pleasure in the catalog of the German National Library
- King Pleasure at Allmusic (English)
- King Pleasure at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pleasure, King |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Beeks, Clarence |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 24, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oakdale, Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 21, 1981 |
| Place of death | los Angeles |