Billy Eckstine (
1914 –
1993) was an
American jazz singer who also played
trumpet, valve
trombone, and
guitar. After singing with the
Earl Hines[?] band from
1939 to
1943 he led his own band from
1944 to
1947. The band included at various times a large number of rising jazz stars, including
Gene Ammons,
Art Blakey,
Miles Davis,
Kenny Dorham[?],
Dizzy Gillespie,
Dexter Gordon,
Fats Navarro[?],
Lucky Thompson[?],
Lena Horne[?],
Charlie Parker, and
Sarah Vaughan. Eckstine later formed an octet, then went solo, becoming a popular ballad singer while remaining an important figure in jazz.