It’s a little past 5 O’clock in the morning when I am startled out of a deep slumber by the clamor of the phone ringing. I fumble for the receiver in the darkness and mutter a half-hearted hello. A friend from the east coast is calling, clearly oblivious to the three hour time difference in … Continue reading Jazz by the Numbers: Neil Sheldon’s Equation for Great Music
Big Band & Swing News
Louis Prima Vocalist & Spouse Keely Smith Passes
Keely Smith, who made a name for herself as vocalist for big band legend Louis Prima, has passed at the age of 89. The wife of New Orleans-born swing trumpeter and singer Louis Prima (1910-1978), Smith became a household name when together they became the hottest act in Las Vegas in the 1950’s. The vocalist … Continue reading Louis Prima Vocalist & Spouse Keely Smith Passes
‘Hooked On Swing’ Leader Larry Elgart Passes
Larry Elgart, best known to younger generations as the musical genius behind the ‘Hooked On Swing’ hits and co-founder of the Elgart Big Band, has passed. The alto saxophone player worked with some of the most popular big bands of the era, including that of Tommy Dorsey, Red Norvo, Woody Herman, and Charlie Spivak. The … Continue reading ‘Hooked On Swing’ Leader Larry Elgart Passes
Vocalist Bea Wain dies at 100
Bea Wain, former lead vocalist with Larry Clinton’s Orchestra and wife of famed radio announcer Andre Baruch, has died at her home in in Beverly Hills, California. The singer died at the age of 100 of congestive heart failure, according to her daughter, Bonnie Barnes. Wain was born in New York and began her singing … Continue reading Vocalist Bea Wain dies at 100
Gatsby Summer Afternoon Takes Attendees ‘Back In Time’
It feels like a giant time machine. For one afternoon each second Sunday in September, the lawn of an historic estate near San Francisco is transformed into Long Island, New York in the 1920’s. While it seems like a page right out of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed 1925 novel, “The Great Gatsby”, it is in … Continue reading Gatsby Summer Afternoon Takes Attendees ‘Back In Time’
The Man With A Drum- Buddy Rich
He was a man with an explosive temper. He had no ability to read music. His tirades were infamous among the musicians who played with him. And yet, he is considered one of the most talented and prolific musicians of the 20th century, and is most cited as ‘inspiration’ for successful drummers today. Billed as … Continue reading The Man With A Drum- Buddy Rich
Swing Street Welcomes Fred Hall’s ‘Swing Thing’
Swing Street Radio is pleased to announce the latest addition to our weekly line up of great big band programming, Fred Hall’s ‘Swing Thing’. Each week, Fred takes you “behind the scenes in swing” on ‘Swing Thing’. Fred conducted his first interview with Helen Forrest in 1945 and subsequently recorded hundreds of artist interviews. He … Continue reading Swing Street Welcomes Fred Hall’s ‘Swing Thing’
Dorsey Brothers Vocalist Harry Prime
Big Band vocalist Harry Prime, who recorded such hits as “Until” with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, has passed away from natural causes at his home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Prime was 97. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, Harry Prime sang with many prominent big band orchestras, including Tommy Dorsey, Randy Brooks, Jack Fina, and the … Continue reading Dorsey Brothers Vocalist Harry Prime
Lena Horne: The Lady & Her Music
American Jazz Singer. Film Actress. Dancer. Civil Rights Activist. Those are just a few of the titles attributed to the late Lena Horne. Born in Brooklyn, New York in June of 1917, by the age of sixteen she was hired as a chorus girl at Harlem’s Cotton Club, performing with Adelaide Hall in ‘Cotton Club … Continue reading Lena Horne: The Lady & Her Music
Benny Goodman: ‘The King of Swing’
The year was 1935. An enthusiastic crowd of young dancers gathered at the famous Palomar Ballroom on Vermont Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Two nights before, the young band and its leader, Benjamin “Benny” Goodman, had played to a sold-out crowd in Oakland’s McFadden Ballroom. In the Bay Area, Goodman … Continue reading Benny Goodman: ‘The King of Swing’
