Born blind on August 16, 1915 in Little Rock Arkansas, Al Hibler studied voice at the Little Rock Conservatory for the Blind before becoming a singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra from 1943 through 1951.
With his distinguished vocal style, he recorded with several orchestras prior to becoming a solo artist. Hibler’s “Unchained Melody” would enter the top five of the Hit Parade in 1955. At the same time the song, from the motion picture “Unchained,” also was a best seller for Les Baxter, Roy Hamilton and June Valli before in 1965 becoming a hit for the Righteous Brothers and was featured in the movie “Ghost” in 1990.
Also in 1955, Al Hibler’s inspirational hit “He” spent 22 weeks on the charts after peaking at #4 on the best seller surveys. A year later, a top ten hit, “After The Lights Go Down Low,” spent 20 consecutive weeks on the charts.
Al Hibler died at 85 years of age on April 4, 2001.
Al Hibler is a 2008 nominee at the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.