The Swing Era

Benny Goodman was well established and known for his musical ability before he came to New York in 1928 to work in the Ben Pollack Band. Benny's musical education began in 1919 at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. The following year he joined the Boy's Club at Jane Addams Hull House. He received private instruction on classical clarinet techniques from Franz Schoepp.

During his Austin High School days in 1922, Benny played with Bud Freeman, Jimmy McPartland, Frank Teschemacher and Dave Tough. Still in his early teens, Benny played with as many groups as he could get in to. One of his biggest excitements came when he played on an excursion boat with Bix Beiderbecke who was in the same band. Beiderbecke taught Goodman much about playing, phrasing, intonation and breathing.

Goodman stayed with Ben Pollack's Band in New York for one year. From 1929 to 1934, he was a studio musician, working with Red Nichols, Paul Whiteman, Ted Lewis and Johnny Green.

In 1934, Goodman formed his first twelve-piece band with three saxes, five brass and four rhythm. He then bought 36 arrangements from Fletcher Henderson. Rehearsals were the next order of business for the Benny Goodman Orchestra. In 1935, Victor Records recorded a Fletcher Henderson arrangement of "King Porter Stomp." The record was an immediate hit.

When the band played one full set of Henderson's arrangements at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, the audience went wild with excitement. They couldn't get enough of that new music called "swing." And so it was, on the night of August 21, 1935, that the Swing Era was born.

The teenagers danced the lindy, jitterbug and bobby-soxers were doing the big apple and the shag. In 1935, Goodman became the "King of Swing." Goodman, it might be added, was among the first to break the color barrier. Up to this point, black and white musicians were not allowed to work together in the same band. However, when it came to music, Goodman stated, "I don't look at the color of a man's skin, I listen to what he can do with his instrument." Therefore, Teddy Wilson, a black pianist was added to the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

The Goodman trio consisted of Goodman, (clarinet), Teddy Wilson, (piano), and Gene Krupa, (drums). Shortly after that, Goodman added another black musician to the trio--Lionel Hampton, (vibes), making it a quartette. The quartette was augmented to a sextet when he added Charlie Christian, (guitar), and another black musician Cootie Williams, (trumpet).

From 1936 to 1939, the band was at its peak. The musicians in the band were Vito Musso, Hymie Schertzer, Arthur Rollini, and George Koenig, (saxophones), Harry James, Ziggy Elman and Chris Griffin, (trumpets), Red Ballard and Murray McEachern, (trombones), Harry Goodman, (Benny's brother on bass), Allan Reuss, (guitar), Jess Stacy, (piano), and Gene Krupa, (drums). Fletcher Henderson, Edgar Sampson and Jimmy Mundy were the arrangers.