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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPARIS, Jackie(b 20 September 1924, Nutley NJ; d 17 June 2004) Jazz singer, also dancer, guitarist; also a teacher. His father worked in a car factory and both parents loved jazz; he was a song and dance kid, dancing for twelve years (including with Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, who said 'You sure got rhythm for a white boy'), did amateur things including the Major Bowes show, influenced by Ella Fitzgerald and Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson; went into the Onyx Club '47 and broke a record, singing there for 26 weeks. The Milt Shaw agency told him he could get more work if he could play so he picked up a guitar, but it was decades before he regarded himself as a guitarist. He worked with Terry Gibbs; on a tour with Charlie Parker '48 that turned into a package, Billie Holiday allowed Bobby Tucker to play for Paris, a thing she rarely did. He joined Lionel Hampton '49 for a year, the only white guy in the band. Having been very lucky when he was young, helped by Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers) and having influential fans (Shaw, Holiday, Peggy Lee, Les Brown, Carmen McRae; Sarah Vaughan told him he had a 'kissy voice'), in his maturity he had had no more luck than many another very good singer. He recorded for MGM '47 including 'Skylark', something of a hit, but there was no follow-up. He was probably not easy to work with or for, feeling strongly about things: a song begins with the lyrics; 'I take tunes apart ... then I spend maybe three days, four days talking the lyrics, just talking. It's harder to talk a lyric than to sing a lyric. Then I will not go after that melody until I know the lyrics so I don't have to think about the lyrics...' 'I've got to please me and that's a fact. That sounds crazy but I think everybody's like that, that really loves music. You're really doing it for yourself: ''Wow, I did a good job today.'' ' (Quotes from interview with Bob Rusch in Cadence.) He recorded for EmArcy '49, first album for Brunswick '54 (including 'Skylark' again), on Wing '53, East-West '57-8, Time '60, The Song Is Paris '62 on Impulse (he played a little guitar), Jackie Paris '80 and Nobody Else But Me '88 on Audiophile (the latter with Jim McNeely, piano; Mike Richmond, bass; Keith Copeland, drums). Married Anne Marie Moss '61; they were later divorced but each was still the other's favourite singer (her album was Don't You Know Me? '80 on Stash, combined on CD with Vivian Lord's Love Dance as Two For The Road). He was married again for 20 years, his second wife died of cancer. His last album was The Intimate Jackie Paris 2004 on Hudson. |