George Albert Shearing Anglo-American jazz pianist Date of Birth: 13.08.1919 Country: USA

Biography of George Albert Shearing

George Albert Shearing was an English-American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of a popular jazz group. He was born in Battersea, London, the youngest of nine children to a coal delivery man and a cleaner at a local railway. Shearing was blind from birth but showed a talent for playing the piano from a very young age. He later attended a school for the blind, where he studied music under professional teachers for four years. Despite receiving several scholarships for his academic achievements, Shearing chose to work in local pubs, playing the accordion and piano.

During this time, Shearing formed a group of blind musicians and was heavily influenced by Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller. In 1937, after meeting Leonard Feather, Shearing began recording professionally under Feather's guidance. In 1940, Shearing joined Harry Parry's group and took part in the triumphant return of Stéphane Grappelli. Shearing was married twice, first to Trixie Bayes from 1941 to 1973, and then to singer Ellie Geffert in 1975 until his death.

In 1947, Shearing moved to the United States, where he quickly embraced the local music scene and incorporated elements of swing, bebop, and contemporary classical music into his work. One of his early performances in the States was at the Hickory House. Shearing collaborated extensively with Oscar Pettiford's trio and Buddy DeFranco's quartet, leading to legal issues as he was still under contract with MGM while DeFranco had a contract with Capitol Records.

In 1949, Shearing formed his first quintet, featuring vibraphonist Margie Hyams, guitarist Chuck Wayne, bassist John Levy, and drummer Denzil Best. Toots Thielemans later replaced Wayne. One of the group's most successful compositions was "September in the Rain," which sold 900,000 copies. Shearing also gained popularity with his accidental composition "Lullaby of Birdland."

Shearing became a U.S. citizen in 1956 and continued to perform with his quintet, although the lineup changed regularly. He worked under Capitol Records until 1969 when he started his own label, "Sheba," which lasted for a short period. In the 1970s, Shearing felt that his quintet had become too predictable and decided to disband it in 1978. However, he continued to perform solo and occasionally collaborated with renowned musicians such as Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ernestine Anderson, Dakota Staton, Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, and Mel Tormé.

In the late 1990s, Shearing began a fruitful partnership with Canadian bassist Neil Swainson, which continued into the 2000s. Shearing passed away on February 14, 2011, due to heart failure.