Let Me Love You - Musica

John Maurice "Johnny" Hartman July 13 1923 - September 15 1983 A Baritone Jazz Singer Who Is Remembered For His Smooth Performances Of Jazz Ballads Is Best Known For His Work With John Coltrane. Their 1963 Album John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman Is A Jazz Classic And The Recording "Lush Life" Was Inducted Into The Grammy Hall Of Fame In 2000. Hartman's Discography Also Includes Recordings With Earl Hines Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band And Several Albums Under His Own Name For Various Record Labels. After His Death From Lung Cancer In 1983 Hartman Was Inducted Posthumously Into The Big Band And Jazz Hall Of Fame In 1986. He Gained More Posthumous Exposure When Director And Jazz Fan Clint Eastwood Chose Some Of His Songs For The Soundtrack To The Movie The Bridges Of Madison County. Throughout Most Of The 1950s Hartman Struggled As A Solo Artist Recording Several Noteworthy Albums That Never Broke Into The Mainstream. While He Always Seemed On The Verge Of Greater Success He Never Got The Commercial Push He Needed. Some Speculate That Hartman Came On The Scene At The Wrong Time And That Racism Denied Him Potential Opportunities. He Was A Handsome Black Man Whose Voice Somewhat Resembled Those Of Many Successful White Vocalists. The Idea Of A Black Man Singing Love Ballads And Swooning White Females Didn't Sit Well In 1950s America Particularly In The Deep South. Billy Eckstine Was A Black Vocalist Who Had Successfully Crossed Over To The Mainstream But Not Without Backlash From White Listeners Who Rejected His Music. Hartman's Career Turned A Significant Corner In 1963 When He Recorded His Classic Duet Album With Saxophonist John Coltrane. They Performed Stunning Renditions Of Ballads Such As "They Say It's Wonderful" And Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life." read less