Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine (
1914 –
1993) was an
American jazz singer who also played
trumpet, valve
trombone, and
guitar. After singing with the
Earl Hines band from
1939 to
1943 he led his own band from
1944 to
1947. The band included at various times a large number of rising jazz stars, including
Gene Ammons,
Art Blakey,
Miles Davis,
Kenny Dorham,
Dizzy Gillespie,
Dexter Gordon,
Fats Navarro,
Lucky Thompson,
Lena Horne,
Charlie Parker, and
Sarah Vaughan. Eckstine later formed an octet, then went solo, becoming a popular ballad singer while remaining an important figure in jazz.
