Tommy Dorsey [ l. ]; Sammy Kaye  [ ctr. ]; Artie Shaw [ r. ]

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

written by Music Librarian Christopher Popa

   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, 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

DESI ARNAZ: "A Discography"

CHARLIE BARNET: (tbd)   with Danny Bank

BLUE BARRON: "The Music Business of Yesterday and Today"   with Russ Carlyle  

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  

RANDY BROOKS: (tbd)   with Bob Arsenault

BOBBY BYRNE: "Mr. Success"   with Bobby and Marilyn Byrne

FRANKIE CARLE: "Tin Pan Ally"  with Frankie Carle

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

JIMMY DORSEY: "So Rare"   with Roc Hillman  

TOMMY DORSEY:  PART 1  "Starmaker"   with Boomie Richman

  PART 2  "Swing High!"   with Billy VerPlanck

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

RALPH FLANAGAN: "Prime Time" with Harry Prime  

JAN GARBER: (tbd)   with Janis Garber and Con Good

DIZZY GILLESPIE: "Things to Come"   with Dizzy Gillespie

DON GLASSER: "Dedicated to You"

JERRY GRAY: "A String of Pearls"   with Zeke Zarchy and Al Hendrickson

LIONEL HAMPTON: "Music Was His Fountain of Youth"   with Phil Leshin  

ERSKINE HAWKINS: "Hit Me with a High Note"   with Asa Harris

NEAL HEFTI: "Don'cha Go Away Mad"   with Frank Capp   NEW! OCTOBER 2007

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

HARRY JAMES: (tbd)   with Vi Monte

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

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

TED LEWIS: "When My Baby Smiled At Me"   with Dawn Williams  

ENOCH LIGHT: "Music, Maestro, Please"   with Julie Klages and Mary Jack Light Wald

GUY LOMBARDO: "Days of Auld Lang Syne"   with Rose Marie (Lombardo) Rogers

VINCENT LOPEZ: "Lopez Speaking"   with Vincent Lopez Jr.  

JIMMIE LUNCEFORD: (tbd)   with Gerald Wilson

RALPH MARTERIE: "Like, Young"   with Judy and Diane Marterie

FREDDY MARTIN: (tbd)   with Clyde Rogers

FRANKIE MASTERS: "Easy Listening"   with Bud Shiffman  

CLYDE McCOY: "Sugar Blues Was Just the Sweet Beginning" with Maxine McCoy  

 

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   

RUSS MORGAN: "The Path of Least Resistance"   with Jack Morgan

BUDDY MORROW: "Five-Star Trombonist"   with Buddy Morrow

RED NORVO: (tbd)   with Eddie Bert

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.  

SAUTER-FINEGAN: (tbd)   with Bill Finegan

JAN SAVITT: "The Swing-Happy Years"   with Al Leopold   NEW! SEPTEMBER 2007

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

CHARLIE SPIVAK: "Stardreams"   with Garry Stevens  

JACK TEAGARDEN: "Jazz Trombone Pioneer"   with Joe Showler  

CLAUDE THORNHILL: "The Sound Hung Like a Cloud"  with Rusty Dedrick  

 

TOMMY TUCKER: "The Fundamental Things Apply"   with Dare Tucker  

RUDY VALLEE: "The Swooning Was for Real"  with Eleanor Vallee

FATS WALLER: "Mesmerizing"  with Dan Morgenstern  

CHICK WEBB: "Stompin' At the Savoy"   with Van Alexander   

TED WEEMS: (tbd)   with Ted Weems, Jr.

PAUL WESTON: "As Long As There's Music"   with Jo Stafford   NEW! DECEMBER 2007

PAUL WHITEMAN: "Something to Remember You By"   with Don Rayno and Cindy Magill

  NEW! NOVEMBER 2007

GRIFF WILLIAMS: "Got the World On a String"   with Lynne Twist

SI ZENTNER: "Have Band, Will Travel"   with Bob Florence

VARIOUS ARTISTS: "In Their Own Words: How to Be a Bandleader"  

VARIOUS ARTISTS: "In Their Own Words: Remarks About Each Other"

VARIOUS ARTISTS: "In Their Own Words: Revolving Bandstand"

VARIOUS ARTISTS: "In Their Own Words: What Is 'Swing'?"

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