Benny Goodman

Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader, famously known as the "King of Swing." He was a talented musician who played the clarinet and led a group of musicians called an orchestra.

From 1935 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. One of his most famous events was a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938. This concert was important because it showed how jazz could be respected as serious music.

Goodman's bands helped start the careers of many jazz musicians. He kept performing until the end of his life and also had an interest in classical music.

Early years

Benny Goodman was born into a large family of Jewish emigrants from the Russian Empire. His parents moved to Chicago and lived in a crowded neighborhood with many different kinds of immigrants. As a child, Benny faced poverty, but his father believed music could help his children succeed. At ten years old, Benny started learning the clarinet and began taking lessons. He joined a boys' club band and even got to attend a summer camp, which gave him a brief escape from his difficult surroundings. By the time he was 13, Benny had his first professional job playing music on boats.

Career

Benny Goodman began his career playing the clarinet in Chicago, inspired by famous jazz musicians. He joined bands, recorded music, and moved to New York City, where he became a well-known session musician. Goodman formed his own band and had many popular songs.

Goodman's band became very popular, especially after a famous performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. This helped start the swing era in jazz. In 1938, Goodman and his band gave an important concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City, helping jazz become respected as serious music. Goodman played with famous musicians like Charlie Christian and explored different kinds of music, but he always returned to swing because that was his specialty.

Later years

Benny Goodman kept playing music in his later years. In the early 1970s, he worked with George Benson and they played some of his old duets. He loved classical music and performed Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in 1960 with conductor Alfredo Antonini in New York City. Even with health problems, Goodman kept performing until just days before he passed away.

Personal life

Benny Goodman married Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth in 1942, and they had two daughters, Rachel and Benji. Rachel became a concert pianist and often performed piano concerts with her father. Goodman also raised three daughters from Alice’s first marriage.

Goodman was known for being strict with his band members, but he secretly helped some of them pay for college. He played an important role in making music more open to everyone. In the 1930s, he hired black musicians like Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, and Charlie Christian, bringing them into his band before many other places changed. In 1962, his orchestra toured the Soviet Union as part of a cultural exchange between the United States and the USSR.

Awards and honors

Benny Goodman received many honors for his music. He won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1957, he was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He was also part of the radio division of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. After he died, his papers were given to Yale University. He also received honorary degrees from several schools, including the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Bard College, and others.

Partial discography

Here are some important recordings by Benny Goodman:

• Original Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Sessions, Vol. 1: After You've Gone (RCA Bluebird, 1987)
• Sing, Sing, Sing (RCA Bluebird, 1987)
• Air Play (Doctor Jazz, 1985)
• Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) (Columbia, )
• Roll 'Em, Vol. 1 (Columbia, 1987)
• Roll 'Em, Vol. 2 (Columbia, 1987)
• Jazz Concert No. 2 (Columbia, 1952)
• The Benny Goodman Treasure Chest (MGM, 1959)
• Don't Be That Way (Columbia 1938)
• From Spirituals to Swing (Vanguard, 1959)
• The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert Vols. 1–3 (Columbia, 1950)
• And The Angels Sing (VICTOR 26170-A)
• The Benny Goodman Sextet Featuring Charlie Christian: 1939–1941 (Columbia/Legacy, 1989)
• Benny Goodman's Sextet (Columbia, 1944)
• Presents Eddie Sauter Arrangements (Columbia, 1953)
• Benny Goodman Sextet Session (Columbia, 1947)
• Undercurrent Blues (Capitol, 1995)
• Mostly Sextets (Capitol, 1950)
• Easy Does It (Capitol, 1952)
• Swedish Pastry (Dragon, 1978)
• B G Dance Parade (Columbia, 1949)
• B G Dance Parade vol II (Columbia, 1950)
• Session for Six (Capitol, 1950)
• The Benny Goodman Trio Plays (Columbia, 1951)
• BG in Hi-Fi (Capitol, 1955)
• Peggy Lee Sings with Benny Goodman (Harmony, 1957)
• Benny Rides Again (Chess,1960)
• Plays World Favorites (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company,1958)
• Benny in Brussels Vols 1 and 2 (Columbia, 1958)
• In Stockholm 1959 (Phontastic, 1988)
• The Hits of Benny Goodman (Capitol Records, 1961)
• Benny Goodman in Moscow (RCA Victor, 1962)
• London Date (Phillips, 1969)
• Benny Goodman Today (London, 1970)
• Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall: 40th Anniversary Concert (1978)
• Live in Hamburg 1981 (Stockfisch, 2019)
• The Yale University Music Library, Vols. 1-12 (Musical Heritage Society, 1988-1995)
• The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (RCA Victor, 1997)
• Lausanne 1950 Swiss Radio Days (TCB, 2005)

Anthologies

• The Great Benny Goodman (Columbia, 1956)
• 16 Most Requested Songs (Columbia/Legacy, 1993)
• This Is Benny Goodman (RCA Victor, 1971)
• Benny Goodman – A Legendary Performer (RCA, 1977)
• And His Orchestra 1935–1939 (Giants of Jazz, 1990)
• His Orchestra and His Combos 1941–1955 (Giants of Jazz, 1990)
• Swing into Spring (Columbia, 1958)

Classical music

• Mozart Clarinet Quintet, with the Budapest String Quartet (RCA Victor, 1938)
• Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1956)
• Weber Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with the Chicago Symphony (RCA, 1968)