George Shearing facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sir George Shearing
Shearing in 1959
Background information
Born	(1919-08-13)13 August 1919 Battersea, London, England, UK
Died	14 February 2011(2011-02-14) (aged 91) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, bebop, swing, cool jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1937–2011
Labels	MGM, Capitol, Concord, Savoy

Sir George Albert Shearing (born August 13, 1919 – died February 14, 2011) was a famous British jazz pianist. For many years, he led a popular jazz group. They recorded music for several record companies.

Shearing wrote over 300 songs. Some of his most famous songs are "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Conception". Many of his albums were popular on the Billboard music charts. He passed away in New York City at 91 years old.

About George Shearing
Awards and Honors
Discography
- As Leader
- As Sideman
Filmography
Images for kids
See also

About George Shearing

His Early Life

George Shearing was born in Battersea, London, England. He was the youngest of nine children. He was born blind. His parents worked hard; his father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains.

He started learning piano when he was just three years old. He went to Linden Lodge School for the Blind for four years to get formal training.

Even though he was offered scholarships for more schooling, Shearing chose to play piano and accordion at a local pub. He earned a small payment each week. He also joined a band called Claude Bampton's Blind Orchestra. During this time, he learned a lot from famous jazz musicians like Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller. He made his first appearance on BBC radio in 1937.

In 1940, Shearing joined Harry Parry's popular band. Later, he joined Stéphane Grappelli's band. They played in London during World War II and then toured. Shearing was voted "Top Pianist" by Melody Maker magazine six times in a row.

Moving to the United States

In 1947, Shearing moved to the United States. His unique piano style quickly became popular. It blended different kinds of music like swing, bebop, and classical. He played with other jazz greats like the Oscar Pettiford Trio.

In 1949, he started his famous George Shearing Quintet. The band included Margie Hyams on vibraphone and Chuck Wayne (later Toots Thielemans) on guitar. John Levy played bass, and Denzil Best played drums. This group had a huge hit song called "September in the Rain". It sold almost a million copies! Shearing also wrote "Lullaby of Birdland", which became a jazz classic.

Shearing loved classical music too. He sometimes performed with orchestras. His piano playing was inspired by composers like Erik Satie, Frederick Delius, and Claude Debussy. He became known for a special piano technique called "The Shearing Sound." This sound used a unique way of playing chords to create a rich, full melody.

In 1956, Shearing became a citizen of the United States. He continued to play with his quintet and recorded many albums. He even started his own record label called Sheba. Shearing appeared on TV shows, including one where he talked about how he coped with being blind.

Later Career

In the 1970s, Shearing started to change his musical style. He stopped playing with his quintet in 1978. He made a notable album called The Reunion in 1976. On this album, he played with Stéphane Grappelli, who he had played with decades before.

Later, Shearing often played in a trio, as a solo artist, or in a duo. He worked with many other famous musicians. In 1979, he signed with Concord Records. He recorded several albums with singer Mel Tormé. Their collaborations won Shearing and Tormé two Grammy Awards.

Shearing stayed active and performed well into his later years. He received an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. He always remembered his home country, England. In his last years, he divided his time between New York and England. This allowed him to tour the UK, often with Mel Tormé and the BBC Big Band.

He was honored with an OBE in 1996. In 2007, he was knighted, becoming Sir George Shearing. He once said, "So, the poor, blind kid from Battersea became Sir George Shearing. Now that's a fairy tale come true."

In 2004, he released his life story, called Lullaby of Birdland. It came with a double album of his music. Soon after, he had a fall at home and stopped performing regularly.

Awards and Honors

Performed for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Performed for US Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.
1975: Received an honorary degree in music from Westminster College, Salt Lake City.
1978: Won the Horatio Alger Award.
1983: Won a Grammy Award for An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé.
1984: Won another Grammy Award for Top Drawer.
1993: Received an Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement.
1994: Received an honorary degree in music from Hamilton College.
1996: Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
1998: Received the first American Music Award from the National Arts Club.
2002: Received an honorary degree in music from DePauw University.
2003: Won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC Jazz Awards.
2007: Knighted for his contributions to music.

Discography

As Leader

Piano Solos with Rhythm (Savoy, 1950)
Shearing in Hi-Fi (MGM, 1955)
The Shearing Spell (Capitol, 1955)
Midnight on Cloud 69 with Red Norvo (Savoy, 1956)
Black Satin (Capitol, 1956)
Lullaby of Birdland (MGM, 1957)
The Shearing Piano (Capitol, 1957)
Taking a Chance on Love with Billy Eckstine, Teddi King (MGM, 1958)
Jazz Conceptions (MGM, 1958)
In the Night (Capitol, 1958)
Latin Lace (Capitol, 1958)
Rap Your Troubles in Drums (MGM, 1959)
Blue Chiffon (Capitol, 1959)
Shearing on Stage! (Capitol, 1959)
Beauty and the Beat! with Peggy Lee (Capitol, 1959)
George Shearing Goes Hollywood (MGM, 1959)
The Shearing Touch (Capitol, 1960)
White Satin (Capitol, 1960)
A Latin Affair (Capitol, 1960)
Mood Latino (Capitol, 1961)
On the Sunny Side of the Strip (Capitol, 1960)
George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers (Jazzland, 1961)
Jazz Moments (Capitol, 1962)
San Francisco Scene (Capitol, 1962)
Satin Affair (Capitol, 1962)
Smooth & Swinging (MGM, 1962)
Soft and Silky (MGM, 1962)
Concerto for My Love (Capitol, 1962)
Shearing Bossa Nova (Capitol, 1962)
Sassy Meets Shearing with Sarah Vaughan (Camay, 1962)
Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays (Capitol, 1962)
Touch Me Softly (Capitol, 1963)
It's Easy to Remember (Ace of Clubs, 1963)
Jazz Concert (Capitol, 1963)
Out of the Woods (Capitol, 1964)
Old Gold and Ivory (Capitol, 1964)
It's Real George (Coronet, 1965)
Rare Form! (Capitol, 1966)
New Look! (Capitol, 1967)
Shearing Today! (Capitol, 1968)
The Young George Shearing (1968)
The Fool on the Hill (Capitol, 1969)
Out of This World (Sheba, 1971)
The Heart and Soul of Joe Williams and George Shearing (Sheba, 1971)
Music to Hear (Sheba, 1972)
G.A.S. (George Albert Shearing) (Sheba, 1972)
As Requested (Sheba, 1972)
Light, Airy & Swinging (MPS/BASF 1973)
The Way We Are (MPS/BASF, 1974)
Continental Experience (MPS/BASF, 1974)
My Ship (MPS, 1975)
The Reunion with Stéphane Grappelli (MPS, 1977)
The Shearing Piano (Capitol, 1977)
The Many Facets of George Shearing (MPS, 1978)
Windows (MPS, 1978)
Two for the Road with Carmen McRae (Concord Jazz, 1978)
500 Miles High (MPS, 1979)
Lullaby of Birdland (MGM, 1979)
Getting in the Swing of Things (MPS, 1980)
Blues Alley Jazz with Brian Torff (Concord Jazz, 1980)
On a Clear Day with Brian Torff (Concord Jazz, 1980)
Alone Together with Marian McPartland (Concord Jazz, 1981)
An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé (Concord Jazz, 1982)
First Edition with Jim Hall (Concord Jazz, 1982)
Top Drawer with Mel Tormé (Concord Jazz, 1983)
Live at the Café Carlyle with Don Thompson (Concord Jazz, 1984)
An Evening at Charlie's with Mel Torme (Concord Jazz, 1984)
Grand Piano (Concord Jazz, 1985)
An Elegant Evening with Mel Tormé (Concord Jazz, 1986)
George Shearing & Barry Tuckwell Play the Music of Cole Porter (Concord, 1986)
More Grand Piano (Concord Jazz, 1987)
Breakin' Out (Concord Jazz, 1987)
Dexterity with Ernestine Anderson (Concord Jazz, 1988)
A Vintage Year with Mel Tormé (Concord, 1988)
A Perfect Match with Ernestine Anderson(Concord Jazz, 1988)
The Spirit of 176 with Hank Jones (Concord Jazz, 1989)
George Shearing in Dixieland (Concord Jazz, 1989)
Piano (Concord Jazz, 1990)
Mel and George "Do" World War II with Mel Tormé (Concord Jazz, 1991)
Get Happy! (EMI, 1991)
I Hear a Rhapsody: Live at the Blue Note (Telarc, 1992)
How Beautiful Is Night with the Robert Farnon Orchestra (Telarc, 1993)
That Shearing Sound (Telarc, 1994)
Walkin' with Neil Swainson, Grady Tate (Telarc, 1995)
Paper Moon (Telarc, 1996)
Favorite Things (Telarc, 1997)
Live at the Forum, Bath 1992 (BBC Music, 2000)
Just for You: Live in the 1950s (2000)
Back to Birdland (Telarc, 2001)
Out of This World (2001)
The George Shearing Trio (2002)
Like Fine Wine (Mack Avenue, 2004)
The Classic Concert Live with Mel Tormé, Gerry Mulligan (Concord Jazz, 2005)
Live Jazz from Club 15 (2006)

As Sideman

With Nancy Wilson

The Swingin's Mutual! (Capitol, 1961)
Hello Young Lovers (Capitol, 1962)
R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) (MCG, 2004)
Guess Who I Saw Today (Capitol, 2005)

With Others

Claude Bolling, Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano (Angel, 1980)
Count Basie, Blee Blop Blues (1990)
Dave Brubeck, Young Lions & Old Tigers (Telarc, 1995)
Michael Feinstein, Hopeless Romantics (Concord, 2005)
Mark Isham, At First Sight (Milan, 1998)
John Pizzarelli, The Rare Delight of You (Telarc, 2002)
Tito Puente, Mambo Diablo (Concord Jazz Picante, 1985)
Joe Williams, Here's to Life (Telarc, 1994)

Filmography

2003: George Shearing – Jazz Legend
2004: George Shearing: Lullaby of Birdland
2004: Swing Era – George Shearing
2004: Joe Williams with George Shearing: A Song is Born
2005: Duo Featuring Neil Swainson

Images for kids

Shearing in 1959