William Boone Daniels (September 12, 1915 – October 7, 1988), better known as Billy Daniels, was an American singer active in the United States and Europe from the mid-1930s to 1988. He was one of the first African-American entertainers to cross over into the mainstream. Daniels was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1977.
Daniels was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. where his father was a postmaster and notary. His mother was a schoolteacher and organist. In 1935, Daniels moved from Jacksonville to New York to attend Columbia University. He planned to become a lawyer, but he was sidetracked during the Depression. His grandmother was a seamstress in Harlem for the Ziegfeld Follies, and she encouraged her grandson to sing at Dickie Wells, the club where he first worked as a dishwasher, then a singing waiter. There he was discovered by bandleader Erskine Hawkins, who hired him as a featured vocalist. He toured with the Erskine Hawkins Band in 1935–36 and then returned to Harlem. Throughout 1938, he sang daily on New York radio for 12 different sponsors. "It was me or the horse racing," Daniels remarked. Daniels performed frequently at nightclubs on New York's 52nd Street, where he was one of the first singers to leave the big-band scene and pursue a solo career.
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| Daniels with Benny Payne |
Daniels' first trademark song from his time on New York radio was the song "Diane," which he recorded on Bluebird in 1941. His later signature song was "That Old Black Magic", by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which Daniels first recorded for Apollo Records in 1948. His 1950 recording on Mercury became a hit, selling in the millions.
His sensational performance in 1950 in Bill Miller's Riveria Club led to holdover appearances. Following Park Avenue residences, Daniels record holdover at 1952 New York Copacabana Club still stands. Daniels was popular in Europe after he headlined at the
London Palladium in 1952, having broken the house records. He toured the UK's Moss Theatre circuit in the 1950s as "America's
most exciting singer." His forte was as a nightclub entertainer, and
he was the biggest cabaret draw in New York throughout the 1950s, appearing alongside the comedian Jimmy Durante. His vocal styling and trademark dance movements were widely imitated by the impressionists of the era. In 1958, Daniels was the first entertainer to sign a long-term contract to appear in Las Vegas for three years at the Stardust.
London Palladium in 1952, having broken the house records. He toured the UK's Moss Theatre circuit in the 1950s as "America's
most exciting singer." His forte was as a nightclub entertainer, and
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| Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway & Billy Daniels |
Daniels had performed in musicals on Broadway early in his career with a minor role in a short-lived musical, Memphis Bound (1945). More notable was the long run (700+ performances) of
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Golden Boy with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964, directed by Arthur Penn. Daniels toured the US in 1975 with Pearl Bailey in the all-black Hello, Dolly!, and in London's West End, he headlined a 1978 presentation of Bubbling Brown Sugar. He was popular in Australia where he first toured with the Andrews Sisters in 1954. His films include When You're Smiling (Columbia, 1950) On the Sunny Side of the Street (Columbia 1951) and Columbia's Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (Columbia, 1952).
Daniels was a pioneer in the new medium of television with his own television series on ABC in 1952. The Billy Daniels Show was sponsored by Rybutol, a popular vitamin tablet at the time. This 15-minute show, telecast from New York on Sunday evenings from
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what was later to become The Ed Sullivan Theater (and now The Late Show) was a milestone: the first sponsored network television series starring a black performer. He appeared on television in the US and UK and Australia and Canada throughout the 1950s and 1960s with performances on The Milton Berle Show and 'The Ed Sullivan Show.
Daniels' recordings cover the period of transition from 78-rpm to the dawn of microgroove recording. Remembered mostly for his charismatic live performances, he made an album at Abbey Road, The Magic of Billy Daniels (1978), which contained a disco version of "That Old Black Magic." He recorded one of the first soul records, "Woe Woe Woe", a now rare recording.
Daniels had heart-bypass surgery twice, first in 1982 and then five years later in 1987. He died on October 7, 1988, from stomach cancer at the age of 73 in Los Angeles, California. He is buried at the El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley, San Diego, California. (Edited from Wikipedia)