Al Hibbler

Al Hibbler stood out as more than merely an unusual vocalist; he emerged as an extraordinary vocal talent. Throughout the 1940s he performed alongside Duke Ellington's Orchestra, and during the 1950s and 1960s he achieved several solo successes including the tracks "Unchained Melody," "After the Lights Go Down Low," and "He" issued by Decca and Atlantic. Listeners remained alert due to his repeated adoption of a Cockney accent alongside pronounced growling methods; nevertheless his singing possessed power, emotional depth, and masculinity, enhanced by a consistent vibrato present across all his recordings.

Born without sight in Mississippi, Hibbler began performing as a child and later sang soprano in the choir at a school for the blind after relocating to Little Rock at age twelve. Drawing inspiration from the rich ballad styles of Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo, his voice matured into deeper territory and he took up blues singing at local roadhouses. Following a triumph in a Memphis talent contest he joined Jay McShann and His Orchestra in 1942, then debuted with Duke Ellington's Orchestra the next year as the replacement for Herb Jeffries.

Among the most significant vocalists Ellington ever featured, Hibbler contributed to several Ellington standards such as "Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear from Me," "Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues," "Don't Be so Mean to My Baby," and "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So." He remained with the band for eight years altogether before departing in 1951 when Ellington declined to increase his pay by fifty dollars.

After signing promptly with Verve, Hibbler worked in his early solo efforts with skilled musicians including Harry Carney, Count Basie, and Gerald Wilson, and in 1954 he issued the LP Al Hibbler Sings Duke Ellington consisting of classic material. The following year he secured a major deal with Decca and scored substantial pop-chart success with the million-selling singles "Unchained Melody" and "He," highlighting his highly distinctive approach that shifted between growling delivery and a meticulously practiced, occasionally employed Cockney accent. In 1956 he returned to the Top Ten with "After the Lights Go Down Low," though the song marked his final hit.

By the late 1950s Hibbler had developed a strong commitment to the civil-rights movement. Beyond financial contributions made by other prominent performers, he actively participated in marches and endured two arrests, first in New Jersey in 1959 and later in Alabama in 1963 after leading an anti-segregation demonstration. Although major labels avoided the risks tied to his contract, support arrived from a notable quarter when Frank Sinatra placed him on Reprise and released the 1961 LP Monday Every Day. Hibbler recorded only infrequently thereafter. He teamed with Rahsaan Roland Kirk for the 1972 Atlantic album A Meeting of the Times yet appeared only sporadically for further sessions or special performances during the 1980s and 1990s.