Dinah Washington - Wheel of Fortune (Mercury Records 1952)

"Wheel of Fortune" is a popular song written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss and published in 1951. It is best remembered in the 1952 hit version by Kay Starr.

The song was originally recorded in 1951, for RCA Victor by Johnny Hartman, and about the same time for Crescendo Records by Al Costello with the Walter Scott Orchestra. Several hit versions of "Wheel of Fortune" were released in 1952. The first chart hit was by the Eddie Wilcox Orchestra featuring Sunny Gale, whose version reached number 2 on the R&B chart and number 13 on the pop chart. The most successful version was by Kay Starr, whose recording reached number 1 in the US pop chart in March 1952, staying there for ten weeks. Other hit versions in 1952 came from Dinah Washington (number 3, R&B), Bobby Wayne (number 6, pop), The Cardinals (number 6, R&B), and The Bell Sisters (number 10, pop).

The song was also used as the theme to the television series Wheel of Fortune.

Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

The wheel of fortune
Goes spinning around
Will the arrow point my way
Will this be my day

Oh, wheel of fortune
Please don't pass me by
Let me know the magic
Of a kiss and a sigh

While the wheel is spinning
Spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning
Winning fortune or fame

While the wheel is turning
Turning, turning, turning
I'll be ever yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame

Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now

Видео Dinah Washington - Wheel of Fortune (Mercury Records 1952) канала RoundMidnightTV