Billy Daniels(1915-1988)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Billy Daniels toiled obscurely for years before becoming a star in
1950. He began singing in his native Jacksonville, Florida, then moved
to Harlem in 1932 and became a dishwasher, and later a singing
waiter, as Dickie Wells' restaurant-club. He toured with the
Erskine Hawkins band circa 1935-36, then returned to Harlem, which
he loved, and sang virtually every day, sometimes just for food. He
became a staple on local radio shows, and in 1941 he had a small
record hit on Bluebird, "Diane"/"Penthouse Serenade." "Diane" became
his trademark song at this stage of his career, when he sang tenor with
no appreciable body movement. At this time he starred in
Sepia Cinderella (1947). In
1948 he began to work permanently with pianist/backup singer
Benny Payne, who also served as his musical director. About
that time he began to make "That Old Black Magic," which he'd first
sung in the summer of 1946 at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, his
new trademark. A 1948 extended appearance at New York's posh Park
Avenue Restaurant began his climb to fame, which climaxed in 1950 with
engagements at Hollywood's Mocambo and Bill Miller's Riviera in New
Jersey, capped by his sensational appearance in the film
When You're Smiling (1950).
From then on he was a star. He appeared in three Broadway musicals:
"Memphis Bound" (1945), "Golden Boy" (1964), and "Hello Dolly" (1975).
Mercury Records was his main label, but before he signed with them he'd
appeared on Vocalion, Bluebird, Victor (with Phil Moore), Savoy (with
Stuff Smith), Decca (Andy Kirk), and Apollo. His film credits are sometimes
confused with the dancer-choreographer-actor Billy Daniel,
