Benjamin David Goodman was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 30, 1909, the son of poor Jewish immigrants. He learned to play the clarinet at an early age in a Hull House run band. While still sporting “short pants,” he began playing professionally. He was greatly influenced in these early years by clarinetists from New Orleans, including Jimmy Noone and Johnny Dodds. His first recordings were made in 1926 when he was sixteen years old and a member of the Ben Pollack Orchestra. Two years later, he was recording in his own name. His father toiled in the stockyards to provide for his family and was killed in a street accident shortly after Benny was earning money working with the Pollack band.
It haunted Benny all of his life that his father did not live to see him succeed even beyond his own wildest dreams. He formed his own band in 1932 after playing with nationally known combos as Ted Lewis, Red Nichols and Isham Jones. In early 1935, Goodman’s band was one of three that was featured on the popular radio show, “Let’s Dance.” Later that same year, when the show was cancelled, Goodman and his band toured America. On October 16, 1938, he and his band appeared in Carnegie Hall in what has since been dubbed “the most significant concert in jazz history.”
The 1930s were good years for Benny Goodman and his band. By the mid 1940s, however, big bands were on the wane, making way for new musical trends such as Frank Sinatra and bee-bop. He married in 1942 and had two daughters. In 1952, Benny finally broke up his band.
Although he was not a musical innovator such as Duke Ellington or Louis Armstrong, he was a major jazz figure and played an important part in the history of American popular music. He also helped eliminate the concept of segregation by making sure his own ensemble was always racially and ethnically mixed. He died in 1986 at the age of seventy-seven, leaving a rich musical legacy.
What are some of YOUR favorite Benny Goodman tunes?