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Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was a celebrated Jazz musician, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", & "Swing's Senior Statesman".

Childhood and early years
Goodman was natural within Chicago, the son of unfortunate Jewish immigrants who hold up Chicago's Maxwell Street front yard. He learned to play clarinet in a charity-run son's band. He became the hard streaming video player at an early age & began swimming professionally around elastic patch however 'concisely pants'.

His early influences were New Orleans jazz clarinetists within Chicago, notably Johnny Dodds, Leon Roppolo, and Jimmy Noone.

At a age of Sixteen, Goodman joined one of Chicago's top elastic, a Ben Pollack Orchestra, with whom he mass produced his foremost recordings inside 1926. He began making records under his have title Ii years late.

Career

Goodman left for New York City & became a good session musician during a late 1920s and early Thirties. He manufactured the reputation as a firm streaming video player world health organization was prepared & dependable. He played by having a nationally known elastic of Red Nichols, Isham Jones, and Ted Lewis before forming his own band inside 1932. Inside 1934 he auditioned for the "Let's Dance" radio program. Since he required recently stock and index charts each week for the indicate, his friend John Hammond suggested that he purchase a select few Jazz stock and index charts from either Fletcher Henderson, who got Just released York's virtually all popular African-Western band in the 1920s and early 1930s.

the combination of the Henderson stock & index charts, his firm clarinet swimming, and his swell rehearsed band mass produced him a rising star in the mid-1930s. Even so, it was does'nt until when his legendary appearance at a Palomar Ballroom around Los Angeles on August 21, 1935 that Goodman became a nationally known star. His radio broadcasts from either Future York got been as well late to attract the big audience on the East Coast, however experienced an inspiring below inside Californithe, & a wildly enthusiastic crowd first greeted Goodman. This received national publicity & turned a Goodman Band into an nightlong sensation. A select few writers stand declared this date to become a begin of the Swing Era.

Fame

Numbers of indicate that Goodman achieved a equivalent profits by owning jazz & swing that Elvis Presley did for rock and roll. Two helped bring african-american music to the immature, whiten audience. These are admittedly that numerous of Goodman's arrangements experienced been played for years prior to by Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra. When Goodman publicly acknowledged his debt to Henderson, numerous immature white swing fans experienced never heard Henderson's band. When the select few assume Goodman a jazz trailblazer, others maintain his independent nature & severity was his perfectionism and cause. Goodman was a virtuosic clarinettist & arguably the virtually all technically good jazz clarinettist of his instance. A Lycos Music website says of Goodman:

His encouragement of musicians prefer Christian, Wilson & Hampton non single helped Goodman to promote significant careers withinside jazz however as well did very much to weaken racial taboos in show biz & U.s. society. A fact that he was never an trailblazer means Goodman was non a great jazz musician in the feel that Armstrong, Ellington, Charlie Parker & others were. All the same, he was the major figure around jazz & played an crucial role in the history of twentieth century popular music.[http://music.lycos.com/artist/bio.asp?QT=A&QW=benny+goodman&AN=Benny+Goodman&MID=10433&MH=]

Racial integration

Goodman is besides responsible the important step within racial integration in America. inside the early Thirties, black & white jazzman may not play together in virtually all clubs or even concerts. In the Southern states, racial segregation was enforced by the Jim Crow laws. Benny Goodman broke by having tradition by hiring Teddy Wilson to play with him & drummer Gene Krupa in the Benny Goodman Trio. Inside 1936, he added Lionel Hampton on vibes to form the Benny Goodman Quartet; within 1940 he added pioneering jazz guitar player Charlie Christian to his band and little ensembles, world health organization played sustaining him until his prematurely dying from either t.b. less than deuce years late. Goodman's fame was peachy sufficiency that his band got there is no fiscal require to tour in the southern states, where his lineup would use at times been subject to arrest. A integration of popular music happened Tenner years prior to Jackie Robinson entered Major League Baseball.

Family
Benny met Alice Hammond Duckworth, a sister of his friend John Hammond. Fallowing dating for astir trey months it conjoin in March 14, 1942. It got ii girl: Benjie & Rachel.

Later years

Based in world health organization smart shoppers talk to, Goodman was the demanding taskmaster, or even an self-important disciplinarian. Numerous musicians spoke of "The Ray", Goodman's trademark glare that he bestowed in the musician world health organization failed to perform to his demanding standards. Musicians besides told stories of Goodman's infamous cheapness, continuing to pinch pennies when he experienced around his impoverishment stricken youth yearn when he got attained fame & fortune.

Goodman continued his meteoric rise throughout a late 1930s using his big band, his trio & quartet, and the sextet. In January 16, 1938, his band made the far-famed appearance at Carnegie Hall. Per mid-1940s, large elastic misused a good deal of their popularity. Reasons include: gifted musicians were typing a service, or even receiving better paid manufactory jobs; petrol & no-good rationing in a period of WWII; 2 yearn musician recording strikes; the rise of popular singers like Frank Sinatra; the restriction of agencies' commissions to 15%, which manufactured promoting little groups further profitable for the babies.

Goodman continued to play inside records & in microscopic groups. Sporadically he would organize the freshly b& and play the Jazz festival or even last in an international tour. He continued to play a clarinet until his dying within New York City at the age of 77.

Benny Goodman is interred in the Long Ridge Cemetery, Stamford, Connecticut.

PBS - Jazz: Benny Goodman
Biography from The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, with sound samples.

Downbeat.com: Goodman, Benny
Biography, photo gallery, classic Down Beat magazine articles, and discography.

Benny Goodman
Photos and information from Find A Grave.

Benny Goodman - the King of Swing
Fan site by David Mulliss offers detailed biography with photographs and MP3s, including 1958 Goodman radio interview.

Goodman Turns Back The Clock
Live performance review by Robert W. Dana, with an image of a letter from Goodman to Dana thanking him for the review.

PeanutsJazz: Benny Goodman
Brief biography with UK discography.


Arts: Music: Bands and Artists: L: Lee, Peggy
Arts: Music: Instruments: Winds: Woodwinds: Clarinet: Performers
Arts: Music: Styles: J: Jazz: Bands and Artists: C: Christian, Charlie
Arts: Music: Styles: J: Jazz: Swing: Bands and Artists
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