Sir George Shearing, OBE (13 August 1919 – 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, including the jazz standard "Lullaby of Birdland", he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. He died of heart failure in New York City, at the age of 91.
Grammy Award for Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra
Movies
George Shearing: Lullaby of Birdland, 80 Steps to Jonah, George Shearing: Jazz Legend, Joe Williams with George Shearing: A Song Is Born, George Shearing: Duo, George Shearing: Swing Era, Stéphane Grappelli: A Life in the Jazz Century, Jazz Legends: Louis Armstrong & Friends, Art Tatum: The Art...
Star Sign
Leo
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Quote
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Everything, everything, whether jazz or classical music, literature or conversation, must have architecture and direction. And those who criticize us for confining jazz to such a requirement do not appreciate that in music, abandonment is fine, but indiscipline is death.
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Fact
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Learned to play piano from the age of three. During his teens he played in a blind students' band led by Claude Bampton before joining the orchestra of Bert Ambrose. During World War II he played in Harry Parry's Radio Rhythm Club Band, doubling on accordion for Frank Weir and his Sextet in 1947.
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Popularized the locked hands block chord technique of piano playing invented by Milt Buckner.
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Born the youngest of nine children to impoverished working-class parents--his father was a coal delivery man and his mother cleaned trains in the evening.
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The famous George Shearing Quintet was formed in 1949 and continued to operate (with changing personnel) until 1978. Members of the group have included Denzil Best, Gary Burton, Israel Crosby and Cal Tjader.
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He lives in Valencia, California. [December 2006]
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His music was greatly admired by actress Laraine Day and she collected every album he ever made.
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Upon his death, he was interred at the Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. His location plot is the Columbarium.
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1716 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
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He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to music.
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He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Honours List for his services to jazz music.
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British (later naturalized American) jazz pianist/composer, accidentally blinded when only a few days old. A prolific recording artist for the MGM, Capitol, and Concord Jazz labels, with his quintet and trio, his theme song, which he also composed, is "Lullabye of Birdland."
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Breaking Bad
2012
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Sakamichi no Apollon
2012
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The Muppets
2011
writer: "Lullaby of Birdland"
Bedtime Stories
2008
performer: "Kinda Cute" / writer: "Kinda Cute"
Ramona
2003
TV Mini-Series music: "Lullaby of Birdland"
Cleo
2002
TV Series music - 1 episode
Six Feet Under
2002
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Herzensfeinde
2001
TV Movie music: "Lullaby Of Birdland"
The Anniversary Party
2001
performer: "Moanin'"
At First Sight
1999
performer: "It Never Entered My Mind"
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
1998
Documentary performer: "It Never Entered My Mind"
Celebrity
1998
music: "Lullaby of Birdland" 1952
Pilkkuja ja pikkuhousuja
1992
writer: "Lullaby of Birdland"
Guilty by Suspicion
1991
performer: "IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND"
The Fabulous Baker Boys
1989
writer: "Lullaby of Birdland"
The Muppet Show
1977
TV Series writer - 2 episodes
Le palmarès des chansons
1966
TV Series music - 1 episode
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1961
TV Series performer - 1 episode
The Rat Race
1960
writer: "Lullaby of Birdland" - uncredited
Timex All-Star Jazz Show
1958
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Bright and Breezy
1956
Short writer: "Lullaby of Birdland"
Disc Jockey
1951
music: "Brain Wave"
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
80 Steps to Jonah
1969
Funny Is Funny
1966
Short as The George Shearing Trio
The Shooting of Dan McGrew
1965
Short
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Christmas Songs
1979
TV Movie
Disc Jockey
1951
George Shearing
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
George Shearing: Lullaby in Birdland
1992
Video music: "Lullaby of Birdland"
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
George Shearing: Lullaby in Birdland
1992
Video
Himself (pianist)
This Is Your Life
1992
TV Series documentary
Himself
Royal Variety Performance 1987
1987
TV Movie
Himself
Iris Williams
1981
TV Series
Himself - Performer
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1965-1981
TV Series
Himself - Guest / Himself
New York, New York
1980
TV Series
Himself
Today
1980
TV Series
Himself
The Mike Douglas Show
1971-1979
TV Series
Himself - Pianist / Himself - Jazz Pianist / Composer
The Joe Franklin Show
1978
TV Series
Himself
All You Need Is Love
1977
TV Series documentary
Himself
Die Drehscheibe
1974
TV Series
Himself
The David Frost Show
1970-1972
TV Series
Himself
The Joey Bishop Show
1968-1969
TV Series
Himself
The Art Linkletter Show
1968
TV Series
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1961
TV Series
Himself
The Bing Crosby Show
1959
TV Series
Himself
Jazz on a Summer's Day
1959
Documentary
Himself
Timex All-Star Jazz Show
1958-1959
TV Series
Himself
The Ed Sullivan Show
1958
TV Series
Himself
The Big Beat
1958
Himself
The Big Record
1957
TV Series
Himself
Frankie Laine Time
1955
TV Series
Himself
Adventures in Jazz
1949
TV Series
Himself
The Flamingo Affair
1948
Himself - Piano (as Stephane Grapelly and his Quintet)
$20 Million
