Category: Artist Impact

He led one of the most influential small-groups of the swing era and played with such notable bands as Chick Webb, Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman. He also scored several hit standards including “Loch Lomond” and “Undecided”. And yet in spite of his innovation and talent, more people are inclined to associate the name “Kirby” … Continue reading Kirby: One Fine Vacuum Cleaner Or One Fine Swing Musician?

At 4 foot 11 inches tall and weighing a mere 82 pounds, her diminutive size could hardly be considered imposing. But the moment she began to sing, she brought everything to a standstill- and became the biggest talent in the room. Performing before a crowd of over 20,000 people at a memorial concert for the … Continue reading The Pint-sized Songstress of Pittsburgh – Maxine Sullivan

If bandleader Tommy Dorsey was known as “The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing”, then fellow bandleader Artie Shaw well could have deserved the moniker “The “Temperamental Grumpyman of Swing”. Widely regarded as one of jazz’s finest clarinetists alongside performers like Benny Goodman, Shaw led one of the most popular big bands of the late ‘30s and … Continue reading Artie Shaw: The Temperamental Grumpyman of Swing

It was a typical New York evening… that January of 1944. The Metropolitan Opera House at 1411 Broadway in Manhattan had played host to many talented artists and vocalists. Enrico Caruso, Lawrence Tibbett and Conductor Arturo Toscanini had all graced its stage. But on that cold 18th of January in 1944, the Metropolitan Opera House … Continue reading “Mrs. Swing” Rocks the House – The Story of Mildred Bailey

He led a popular West Coast big band off and on for over 40 years. Many future artists got their start with his band, and his orchestra backed-up Bing Crosby on the 1932 Crosby hit “Please.” Bandleader and pianist Anson Weeks was born in 1896 in Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco. He … Continue reading Dancin’ With Anson – The Anson Weeks Story

When his career was cut short at the age of 45, he had more than one hundred hits to his name and played to sold-out audiences across the nation. But his humble beginnings suggested his success on stage would be a hard-fought battle off stage. Born the son of a poor Baptist preacher in Montgomery, … Continue reading Nat King Cole – The ‘Piano Man’

He was a musical child prodigy admired by the likes of Louis Armstrong and Harry James. His talent on the trumpet helped propel bandleaders like Benny Goodman to fame. But his love of liquor ultimately paved the way to a tragic ending for this electrifying musician of the 1930’s. Bunny Berigan was a handsome musician … Continue reading Swingin’ High – The Bibulous Bunny Berigan

When big band aficionados gather to discuss their favorite crooners of the Big Band period, inevitably three names come up. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Argentinian-born Dick Haymes. Haymes was perhaps one of the most popular vocalists of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Born to Irish and British parents in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1918, his … Continue reading It Had To Be You – Vocalist Dick Haymes

When musicians debate the question of which were the biggest hits to emerge from the big band era, inevitably two titles come to the forefront: Artie Shaw’s “Begin the Beguine” and Glenn Miller’s “A String of Pearls”.  Ironically, neither of these two songs, both of which became million sellers, might never have become hits were … Continue reading Arranger & Musical King Maker: The Jerry Gray Story

He was a driving force behind Benny Goodman’s success. He launched the career of singer Frank Sinatra. And during the 40’s he married the most famous “Pin-up Girl” of the Second World War. Trumpeter and Bandleader Harry James began his music career playing in a traveling circus with his father in Texas. Later, Harry joined … Continue reading A Man With A Horn – Harry James