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Billy Daniels worked in obscurity for years before rising to stardom in 1950. He started singing in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, then moved to Harlem in 1932, where he worked as a dishwasher and later as a singing waiter at Dickie Wells' restaurant-club. Around 1935-36, he toured with the Erskine Hawkins band before returning to Harlem, which he adored, performing almost daily, sometimes just for a meal. He became a regular on local radio shows, and in 1941 scored a minor hit on Bluebird with "Diane"/"Penthouse Serenade." "Diane" became his signature song during this period, when he sang tenor with minimal physical movement. In 1947, he starred in Sepia Cinderella. By 1948, he began collaborating permanently with pianist and backup singer Benny Payne, who also served as his musical director. Around this time, he started performing "That Old Black Magic," which he had first introduced in the summer of 1946 at Club Harlem in Atlantic City, becoming his new hallmark. A lengthy 1948 engagement at New York’s upscale Park Avenue Restaurant launched his ascent to fame, culminating in 1950 with appearances at Hollywood's Mocambo and Bill Miller’s Riviera in New Jersey, highlighted by his remarkable role in the film When You're Smiling (1950). From that point forward, he was a star. He appeared in three Broadway musicals: Memphis Bound (1945), Golden Boy (1964), and Hello Dolly (1975). Mercury Records was his primary label, but before signing with them, he recorded for Vocalion, Bluebird, Victor (with Phil Moore), Savoy (with Stuff Smith), Decca (Andy Kirk), and Apollo. His film credits are sometimes mistaken for those of the dancer-choreographer-actor Billy Daniel.
