Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman was one of the--if not the--most accomplished clarinetist of his time. After receiving classical training, he became interested in jazz and eventually was dubbed the "King of Swing." After several years of laboring in relative obscurity, despite radio appearances and concerts, his big break came with a concert at the Palomar Ballroom in 1935. The concert was broadcast on the radio and the public reaction made Goodman and his band famous and is often said to mark the beginning of the swing era. His band's concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938 was another landmark event, signalling swing's acceptance as a legitimate form of music.

Goodman was a perfectionist with a reputation as demanding, even persnickety. Nevertheless, many of the great names of the swing era got major exposure and built reputations as members of his band, including Gene Krupa, arguably the father of the modern drum solo; Harry James, "the man with two first names"; and Peggy Lee. In a rarity for the time, he featured and appeared with black musicians on multiple occasions.

As the swing era wound down in the early years of World War II, Goodman continued to perform, but turned his attention more and more to classical music. In 1956, Steve Allen appeared in a movie, The Benny Goodman Story. Goodman's playing is on the soundtrack. but Allen learned to play the clarinet for the part. Many artists who had toured with Goodman appeared in bit parts in the movie.

For more information, see the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.