Artie Shaw

Artie Shaw was one of the premier clarinetist of the mid-twentieth century, rivaled only by Benny Goodman. After working for a decade as a session musician, performing with various bands about the country, he gained fame with a recording of Cole Porter's classic song, Begin the Beguine; from then on, his big bands were popular throughout the rest of the Swing Era.

Introverted and mercurial, he tended to form a band, reel off some hits, then move on to form a new band. He also formed a number of smaller ensembles and experimented with new and different forms of composition. Along the way, he played with some of the great names of the time, such as Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, and Buddy Rich.

In World War II, he enlisted in the Navy and entertained troops in the Pacific Theater, much as Glenn Miller did in the European Theater. After the war, he started to wind down his musical career, though he did not abandon it, and turned increasingly to writing as an outlet for his creative impulses.

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.