A fine ballad singer with a deep baritone voice influenced by Billy Eckstine, Earl Coleman made his place in history by recording "This Is Always" and "Dark Shadows" in 1947, while being accompanied by Charlie Parker. He had sung previously with Jay McShann (1943) and Earl Hines (1944). Despite the success of "This Is Always" (which was a minor hit), Coleman never really caught on and was fairly obscure throughout much of his career. He did record now and then with the likes of Fats Navarro (1948), Art Farmer, Sonny Rollins (both in 1956), and on his own dates, including two sets for Xanadu (1977 and 1979) and one for Stash (1984). ~ Scott Yanow