KWXY Presents ● A Classic Conversation with Billy Eckstine

Portrait of Billy Eckstine, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 / Library of Congress - William P. Gottlieb / photographer

Billy Eckstine was an influential jazz singer, musician, and bandleader throughout the Swing Era.  Billy was adept on guitar as well as trumpet and valve trombone, however Eckstine was perhaps best known as a vocalist, with a voice described by the New York Times as a “suave bass-baritone.”

He was born William Clarence Eckstein in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 8, 1914 to parents William and Charlotte Eckstein. 

As a young man in Chicago, he was a member of the Earl Hines Grand Terrace Orchestra from 1939 to 1943, forming his own big band in 1944.  The band was among the first ever to play in the emerging bebop style and boasted such musicians as Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. 

The band scored two gold records in 1945 with “Cottage For Sale” and “Prisoner Of Love” before he disbanded the orchestra to pursue a solo career in 1947. 

Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Eckstine continued to record and to perform live; a 1950 performance in New York drew a larger audience than Frank Sinatra had drawn at the same venue.  With the growth of television, Eckstine became a regular on the network variety shows of the day and performed as an actor on both television and film.  He appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Nat King Cole Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Dean Martin Show, and The Tonight Show with Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson, amongst many others.

Eckstine was married two times with his first marriage ending after ten years and his second to model and actress Carolle Drake.

Billy Eckstine, New York, N.Y., The Library of Congress - Portrait of Billy Eckstine, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948, William P. Gottlieb

Eckstine played with the greatest jazz and bebop artist of all time including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan. He was a musician’s musician and looked up to by many African American entertainers including Quincy Jones, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington and Sammy Davis Jr. as one of the greatest singers of all time.

Billy remained active as a performer until he suffered a stroke during a show in April 1992 which ended his career as a performer.  Billy died less than a year later on March 18, 1993 at age 78.  A Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was erected in front of his childhood home at 5913 Bryant Street, in Pittsburgh.

Billy was one of the greatest singers of all time, and his place in American Music History, as a pioneer of jazz, bebop, and an inspiration to so many African American entertainers will not be forgotten.

Listen to the Music of Billy Eckstine on The Wink Martindale Show today at 1pm on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com