Burl Ives was one of the most famous folk and ballad singers in the world. He had a deep and penetrating voice that touched the soul. The musician was the winner of the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe awards. He was not only a singer, but also an actor. Ives collected folk stories, edited them and arranged them into songs.
The early years of the singer and the beginning of a career
On June 14, 1909, the future singer, musician and actor Burl Ikle Ivano Ives was born into a farmer's family. The family lived in Illinois. There were six more children in the family, each of whom wanted the attention of their parents. Burl Ives showed his musical abilities as a child, when he performed with his brothers and sisters.
Once his uncle arranged a meeting of veteran soldiers, where he invited the future singer. The boy sang several songs, which impressed those present. But the love for folk motives was instilled in the musician by his grandmother. She was originally from the British Isles and often sang local songs to her grandchildren.
The boy did well at school. He continued to practice singing as well as football. After school, he went to college and wanted to connect his future life with sports. He had a dream - to become a football coach, but life turned out differently. Three years after entering, in 1930, he dropped out and went to travel.
Burl Ives hitchhiked to the United States and Canada, while earning on small part-time jobs. He did not give up singing either, which was also an additional source of income. The musician quickly grasped local songs and performed them to the accompaniment of a small guitar. As a result, because of the wanderings, the singer ended up in prison. He was arrested for performing a song that was considered indecent.
In the early 1930s, Burle Ives was invited to speak on the radio. Several years of performances led to the fact that in 1940 he became the host of his own program. There he was able to perform his favorite folk songs and ballads. And as a result, the singer decided to study and get an education. However, this time he chose a teacher training college.
Burl Ives Career Development
The singer was determined to realize himself as a performer of folk songs. Ives began to be invited to perform in shows and performances, including on Broadway. Moreover, for four years he performed in a New York nightclub. Then there were performances on the radio with theme songs.
In 1942, the musician was called up to serve in the army, but he did not leave music there either. Burl Ives sang in an army band and was promoted to corporal. But a year later, due to health problems, he was sent to the reserve. A few months later, at the end of 1943, the musician finally moved to New York. In the new city, he hosted a radio program, and in 1946 he made his film debut. In parallel, he continued to search for and record songs. For example, the musician was nominated for an Oscar for his performance of the song Lavender Blue.
However, then there were difficult times. In the early 1950s, Burl Ives was accused of the serious crime of having links with the communists. He immediately began to be denied roles and performances. For a long time, the singer argued that the accusations were false. In the end, he proved his non-participation in communist activities. But there was still a connection. Many colleagues refused to communicate with him, because they considered the musician a traitor and a deceiver.
The real success of Burl Ives
Despite accusations of collaboration with the Communist Party and unstable relations with colleagues, he found success. The end of the 1950s was marked by roles in several successful films. Burl Ives won an Oscar for playing Rufus Hennessy in Big Country.
He continued to record songs with even greater zeal and took leadership positions in many charts. He also developed his acting skills - starred in films, television shows and on Broadway. He also started a new business - writing books. Burl Ives wrote several works of fiction and, of course, an autobiography.
Personal life
The musician was married twice. The first marriage took place in December 1945. The chosen one of Burl Ives was the writer Helen Ehrlich. And four years later, the couple had a son, Alexander. The couple lived together for almost 30 years, but in February 1971 they filed for divorce. He did not name the exact reason, but two months later the singer married a second time. Dorothy Coster's new wife Paul was also an actress.
Interesting facts about Burl Ives
The legacy of the musician could be greater. There were archives with his works, but, unfortunately, they have not been preserved. The materials were stored at Universal Studios in Hollywood. In 2008, there was a large-scale fire there, as a result of which most of the studio was destroyed. In addition, about 50 archival videos and film recordings were burned in the fire. The fact that among them were recordings with a musician became known in 2019.
He had several books. For example, in 1948, the musician published his autobiography, The Traveling Stranger. Then there were several collections of songs, among which: "Burl Ives Songbook" and "Tales of America".
The musician was in the Boy Scouts. Until the end of his life, he took part in their regular meetings and gatherings (Jamboree). It was he who, behind the scenes in the film about the national rally, spoke about the advantages and possibilities of the scouts.
Burl Ives also appeared in Broadway productions. His most popular role is Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Awards and achievements
In 1976, the musician became a laureate of the Lincoln Academy. He received the state's highest honor, the Order of Lincoln for artistic achievement.
Burl Ives was a talented musician, but he received awards for his role in films. In 1959, he was awarded two awards at once as the best supporting actor. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role in Big Country.
In June 1994, he was inducted into the DeMolay International Hall of Fame.
The performer had a very unusual award "Silver Buffalo" - the highest award in the Boy Scouts.
The last years of the musician's life
In 1989, after his 70th birthday, Burl Ives became less active. Gradually, he began to devote less time to his career and eventually retired.
In 1994, the singer was diagnosed with oral cancer. He was a heavy smoker, so this was not a big surprise. At first, several operations were carried out. However, they were not successful. As a result, Burl Ives refused further treatment. He fell into a coma and died on April 14, 1995. The singer did not live two months before his birthday - he would have turned 86 years old.
