Tommy Dorsey [ l. ]; Sammy Kaye [ ctr. ]; Artie Shaw [ r. ]
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
written by Music Librarian Christopher Popa
These are fresh biographical sketches about the big band masters, incorporating comments and anecdotes from interviews, confirming vital statistics about their lives, showing various images from their careers, and providing a select list of recommended recordings of their music.
As a disc jockey in the 1970s and '80s, I had spoken with Ray Anthony, Frankie Carle, Warren Covington, Larry Elgart, Dizzy Gillespie, Sammy Kaye, Ray McKinley, Buddy Morrow, Alvino Rey, Artie Shaw, and others, for my radio program, "The Big Band Songbook."
With the launch of this website in April 2004, a new initiative was started, talking with other bandleaders still living, including Louis Bellson, Bobby Byrne, Del Courtney, and Elliot Lawrence, as well as various alumni and associates of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Barnet, Blue Barron, Benny Carter, Larry Clinton, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Ralph Flanagan, Chuck Foster, Jerry Gray, Lionel Hampton, Neal Hefti, Woody Herman, Tiny Hill, Earl Hines, Harry James, Dick Jurgens, John Kirby, Lester Lanin, Jimmie Lunceford, Freddy Martin, Frankie Masters, Glenn Miller, Lucky Millinder, Vaughn Monroe, Red Norvo, Jan Savitt, Charlie Spivak, Jack Teagarden, Claude Thornhill, and Si Zentner.
Contact was also established with family members of Bunny Berigan, Les Elgart, Ziggy Elman, Jan Garber, Bobby Hackett, Erskine Hawkins, Horace Heidt, Art Kassel, Wayne King, Kay Kyser, Ted Lewis, Enoch Light, Guy Lombardo, Vincent Lopez, Ralph Marterie, Clyde McCoy, Russ Morgan, Boyd Raeburn, Tommy Reynolds, Bobby Sherwood, Tommy Tucker, Rudy Vallee, Ted Weems, Paul Weston, Paul Whiteman, and Griff Williams.
For some bandleaders, it may be difficult to locate survivors who had a direct connection with them. After the last member of Fats Waller's band died in 2005, for instance, it might have been easy to quote Waller's lyrics, "No one to talk to. All by myself..." Instead, I asked Dan Morgenstern, a jazz expert and author, and a long-time fan of Waller's, to talk on his behalf. So, in the future, I likely will invite other specialists or aficionados to participate.
There are many names that deserve to be added to the list below, and I plan on continuing to conduct research and seek new interviews, to assure that they are all honored eventually.
RAY ANTHONY: "Mr. Anthony's Band" with Ray Anthony
LOUIS ARMSTRONG: (tbd) with Jack Bradley
DESI ARNAZ: "A Discography"
GEORGIE AULD: "Sax Appeal"
MITCHELL AYRES: "Scratchin' the Surface"
CHARLIE BARNET: (tbd) with Danny Bank
BLUE BARRON: "The Music Business of Yesterday and Today" with Russ Carlyle
COUNT BASIE
LOUIE BELLSON: "Two Sticks of Dynamite" with Louie Bellson
TEX BENEKE: PART 1 "Lone Star Moon" with Johnny Best, Paul Tanner, Sal Libero, Gene
Cipriano, and Art Depew PART 2 (tbd) with Eddie Zandy and Sandi Beneke
BUNNY BERIGAN: "'Cause You're So Supreme" with Joyce Berigan Hansen,
Joe Aguanno, and Ken Hansen
WILL BRADLEY: (tbd) with Will Bradley
RANDY BROOKS: (tbd) with Bob Arsenault
LES BROWN: (tbd) with Butch Stone
SONNY BURKE: "Doin' the Mambo - and More"
HENRY BUSSE: "In Search of the Truth"
BILLY BUTTERFIELD: "On Lead, Solos, and Features"
BOBBY BYRNE: "Mr. Success" with Bobby and Marilyn Byrne
CAB CALLOWAY: "Keep That Hi-De-Ho in Your Soul" with Cab Calloway
FRANKIE CARLE: "Tin Pan Ally" with Frankie Carle
BENNY CARTER: (tbd) with Ed Berger
LEE CASTLE: (tbd) with Lee Castle
CARMEN CAVALLARO: "The Poet of the Piano"
BOB CHESTER: "Bluebirds of Happiness"
LARRY CLINTON: "True Confession" with Bea Wain
DEL COURTNEY: "The Old Smoothie... Today!" with Del Courtney
WARREN COVINGTON: "For You, Mr. Covington" with Warren Covington
BOB CROSBY: (tbd) with Bob Crosby
XAVIER CUGAT: "A Passion for Life"
AL DONAHUE: "His Life Became a First-Class Voyage"
SAM DONAHUE: "No Other Life of Which I'm Fonder"
THE DORSEY BROTHERS: (tbd) with Kay Weber
JIMMY DORSEY: "So Rare" with Roc Hillman
TOMMY DORSEY: PART 1 "Starmaker" with Boomie Richman
PART 2 "Swing High!" with Billy VerPlanck
EDDY DUCHIN: "Soft Lights and Sweet Music"
SONNY DUNHAM: "Memories of You"
BILLY ECKSTINE: "Mr. B and His Band"
ROY ELDRIDGE: "'Little Jazz,' a Giant of Jazz"
LES AND LARRY ELGART: "Fluid Drive" with Larry Elgart and Joerene Elgart
DUKE ELLINGTON: "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" with Herb Jeffries
ZIGGY ELMAN: "Fralich in Swing" with Noni Bernardi and Martin Elman
SKINNAY ENNIS: "A Southern Gentleman" with Carmene and Christopher Ennis
SHEP FIELDS: "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"
JACK FINA: "Rhapsody in Blue"
TED FIO RITO: "King for a Day"
RALPH FLANAGAN: "Prime Time" with Harry Prime
CHUCK FOSTER: "For the Dancers"
JAN GARBER: (tbd) with Janis Garber and Con Good
DIZZY GILLESPIE: "Things to Come" with Dizzy Gillespie
BENNY GOODMAN
GRAY GORDON: "Tic-Toc Rhythm"
GLEN GRAY: "Casa Loma Cooperative"
JERRY GRAY: "A String of Pearls" with Zeke Zarchy and Al Hendrickson
BOBBY HACKETT: "Mellow Man with a Horn" with Ernie Hackett NEW! MAY 2017
GEORGE HALL: "Two Dreams Got Together"
MAL HALLETT: "An Earful of Music"
LIONEL HAMPTON: "Music Was His Fountain of Youth" with Phil Leshin
PHIL HARRIS: "Fun and Fancy Free"
ERSKINE HAWKINS: "Hit Me with a High Note" with Asa Harris
EDGAR HAYES: "A Song That Will Not Die"
TED HEATH: "Listen to My Music"
NEAL HEFTI: "Don'cha Go Away Mad" with Frank Capp
HORACE HEIDT: (tbd) with Horace Heidt, Jr.
WOODY HERMAN: (tbd) with Frank Tiberi
TINY HILL: "His Laugh Was As Big As He Was" with Dan Windolph
EARL HINES: (tbd) with Marva Josie
CLAUDE HOPKINS: "Reflections in Swing"
EDDY HOWARD: "A Million Dreams Ago"
HUDSON-DELANGE: "Sophisticated Swing"
DEAN HUDSON: "He Had Ambition"
INA RAY HUTTON: "And Her Melodears"
HARRY JAMES: (tbd) with Vi Monte
JACK JENNEY: "A Sprinkle of Star Dust"
ISHAM JONES
SPIKE JONES: "Thank You, Music Lovers"
LOUIS JORDAN: "Jump and Jive with the Tympany Five"
DICK JURGENS: "Here's That Band Again" with Buddy Moreno
ART KASSEL: (tbd) with Art Kassel III
SAMMY KAYE: "Swing and Sway Is Here to Stay" with Sammy Kaye
HAL KEMP: "How I'll Miss You"
STAN KENTON
WAYNE KING: "Melody of Love" with Dorothy King, Wayne King Jr., and Nancy Evans
JOHN KIRBY: (tbd) with Dave Pell
GENE KRUPA: (tbd) with Urbie Green
KAY KYSER: "Thinking of You" with Kimberly Kyser
LESTER LANIN: "I Could Have Danced All Night" with Julius Schwartz
ELLIOT LAWRENCE: "Sweet with a Beat" with Elliot Lawrence
SYD LAWRENCE: "Something Old, Something New"
TED LEWIS: "When My Baby Smiled At Me" with Dawn Williams
ENOCH LIGHT: "Music, Maestro, Please" with Julie Klages and Mary Jack Light Wald
LITTLE JACK LITTLE: "A Cheerful Songbird"
GUY LOMBARDO: "Days of Auld Lang Syne" with Rose Marie (Lombardo) Rogers
JOHNNY LONG: "Just Like That"
VINCENT LOPEZ: "Lopez Speaking" with Vincent Lopez Jr.
JIMMIE LUNCEFORD: (tbd) with Gerald Wilson
ABE LYMAN: "California, Here I Come"
RICHARD MALTBY: "Bow to a Big-Name Band"
RALPH MARTERIE: "Like, Young" with Judy and Diane Marterie
FREDDY MARTIN: (tbd) with Clyde Rogers
FRANKIE MASTERS: "Easy Listening" with Bud Shiffman
BILLY MAY: (tbd) with Billy May
HAL MCINTYRE: "A Great Guy"
RAY McKINLEY: PART 1 "Howdy, Friend" with Ray McKinley and Curley Broyles
PART 2 "It's About Time" with Jawn McKinley-Neville
GLENN MILLER: PART 1 "A Memorial, 1944-2004" with Trigger Alpert
PART 2 "A Dream Band" with Norman Leyden and Whitey Thomas
LUCKY MILLINDER: "Big Band Rhythm & Blues" with Ed Shaughnessy
VAUGHN MONROE: "There, I've Said It Again" with Bucky Pizzarelli and Mary Jo (Thomas)
Grogan
ART MOONEY: "A Dream Come True"
RUSS MORGAN: "The Path of Least Resistance" with Jack Morgan
BUDDY MORROW: "Five-Star Trombonist" with Buddy Morrow
OZZIE NELSON: "Perfect Harmony"
RED NICHOLS: "At the Jazz Band Ball"
RAY NOBLE: "It's Just the Thought of You"
RED NORVO: (tbd) with Eddie Bert
SY OLIVER: "Yes, Indeed!"
WILL OSBORNE: "On with the Dance"
TONY PASTOR: "When I'm Calling You"
BEN POLLACK: "Hotbed of Talent"
TEDDY POWELL: "Determined to Succeed"
LOUIS PRIMA: "Hey Boy! Hey Girl!"
BOYD RAEBURN: (tbd) with Bruce Raeburn
ALVINO REY: "Wizard of the Steel Pedal Guitar" with Alvino Rey
TOMMY REYNOLDS: "Collective Memory" with Dave Swerling, Frankie Reynolds,
and Frank Galasso, Jr.
BUDDY RICH: "One of a Kind"
SAUTER-FINEGAN: (tbd) with Bill Finegan
JAN SAVITT: "The Swing-Happy Years" with Al Leopold
RAYMOND SCOTT: "An Inventive Mind"
ARTIE SHAW: PART 1 "The Consequences of $ucce$$" with Artie Shaw
PART 2 "Second Chorus" with Ray Conniff and Hank Freeman
BOBBY SHERWOOD: (tbd) with Carl Saunders
FREDDIE SLACK: "He's Murder At the 88"
MUGGSY SPANIER
PHIL SPITALNY: "Charm School"
CHARLIE SPIVAK: "Stardreams" with Garry Stevens
DICK STABILE: "Memories Are Made of This"
JACK TEAGARDEN: "Jazz Trombone Pioneer" with Joe Showler
CLAUDE THORNHILL: "The Sound Hung Like a Cloud" with Rusty Dedrick
ORRIN TUCKER: "So You're the One"
TOMMY TUCKER: "The Fundamental Things Apply" with Dare Tucker
RUDY VALLEE: "The Swooning Was for Real" with Eleanor Vallee
JOE VENUTI: "Fiddlesticks"
JERRY WALD: "Clarinet High Jinks"
FATS WALLER: "Mesmerizing" with Dan Morgenstern
CHICK WEBB: "Stompin' At the Savoy" with Van Alexander
TED WEEMS: (tbd) with Ted Weems, Jr.
LAWRENCE WELK: "Family Values"
PAUL WESTON: "As Long As There's Music" with Jo Stafford
PAUL WHITEMAN: "Something to Remember You By" with Don Rayno and Cindy Magill
COOTIE WILLIAMS: "Growl and Roar"
GRIFF WILLIAMS: "Got the World On a String" with Lynne Twist
Si ZENTNER: "Have Band, Will Travel" with Bob Florence
BOB ZURKE: "It's Me Again"
VARIOUS ARTISTS: "And Still More Bandleaders" (Irving Aaronson; Gus Arnheim;
Ben Bernie; Tiny Bradshaw; Lou Breese; Ace Brigode; Blanche Calloway; Gay
Claridge; Coon-Sanders Orchestra; Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans; Bernie Cummins;
Johnny "Scat" Davis; Buddy DeFranco; Maynard Ferguson; Larry Funk; Tom Gerun;
Emerson Gill; Don Glasser; Jimmie Grier; Bobby Hackett; Richard Himber; Everett
Hoagland; Carl Hoff; The International Sweethearts of Rhythm; Illinois Jacquet; Jimmy
Joy; Roger Wolfe Kahn; Henry King; Orville Knapp; Harlan Leonard; Enric Madriguera;
Wingy Manone; Chico Marx; The McFarland Twins; Jay McShann; Johnny Messner;
Leighton Noble; George Olsen; Jimmy Palmer; George Paxton; Teddy Phillips; Barney
Rapp; Carl Ravazza; Don Redman; Joe Reichman; Freddie Rich; Buddy Rogers; Luis
Russell; Ben Selvin; Boyd Senter; Milt Shaw; Noble Sissle; Paul Specht; Bob Strong;
Charlie Ventura; Fred Waring; Anson Weeks; Teddy Wilson; Sterling Young)
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