HWOF

George Shearing

Source: Freebase

Sir George Shearing OBE (born August 13, 1919, Battersea, London) is an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group which recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he has had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. He became known for a piano technique known as Shearing’s voicing, a type of double melody block chord, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower. Shearing’s interest in classical music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in the 1950s and 1960s, and his solos frequently draw upon the music of Debussy and, particularly, Erik Satie for inspiration. Shearing was the youngest of nine children. He was born blind to working class parents: his father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains in the evening. He started to learn piano at the age of three and began formal training at Linden Lodge School for the Blind.

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Jazz pianist George Shearing dies at 91
MSNBC Music, 2011-02-14 22:52:42
George Shearing, the ebullient jazz pianist who wrote the standard "Lullaby of Birdland" and had a string of hits both with and without his quintet, has died. He was 91.

Jazz pianist George Shearing dies in NY at 91 (omg!)
Yahoo Entertainment, 2011-02-14 21:26:05
omg! - Reuters - Blind jazz piano legend Sir George Shearing, best known for his inventive jazz and the classic, "Lullaby of Birdland," died on Monday of congestive heart failure at age 91, his longtime manager said.

Jazz pianist George Shearing dies at 91
MSNBC Music, 2011-02-14 19:15:48
Sir George Shearing, the ebullient jazz pianist who wrote the standard "Lullaby of Birdland" and had a string of hits both with and without his quintet, has died. He was 91.