When Swing Was the Thing: Personality Profiles of the Big Band Era

Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTs......Page 8
INTRODUCTION......Page 10
PART ONE THE BANDLEADERS......Page 12
VAN ALEXANDER FROM HARLEM TO HOLLYWOOD......Page 14
BENNY GOODMAN LAUNCHES THE BIG BAND ERA......Page 17
HORACE HEIDT FIVE DECADES OF TOP SHOW BANDS......Page 24
JOHN KIRBY THE FORGOTTEN LEGEND......Page 31
KAY KYSER BANDLEADER, MOVIE STAR, RADIO AND TV HEADLINER, AND HUMANITARIAN......Page 37
BILLY MAY EIGHT DECADES IN SWING......Page 42
RAY McKINLEY 75 YEARS WITH THE BIG BANDS......Page 47
GLENN MILLER RALLIES ENGLAND DURING WORLD WAR II......Page 57
ALVINO REY AND THE KING SISTERS A BLOCkBUSTER COMBINATION......Page 64
JAN SAVITT FROM THE CLASSICS TO SWING......Page 71
ARTIE SHAW’S POSTWAR MUSICAL ODYSSEY......Page 77
ORRIN TUCKER HE PLEASED THE PUBLIC......Page 85
GERALD WILSON MASTER OF BIG BAND JAZZ......Page 93
Photos for Part One......Page 98
PART TWO THE MUSICIANS......Page 114
ERNANI BERNARDI A MAN OF MANY TALENTS......Page 116
MILT BERNHART KEEPER OF THE BIG BAND ERA FLAME......Page 120
BUDDY CHILDERS SEVEN DECADES OF LEAD TRUMPET......Page 126
JACK COSTANZO MISTER BONGO......Page 131
ALAN GREENSPAN BIG BAND ERA ALUMNUS......Page 143
JAKE HANNA 60 YEARS OF SWING......Page 145
ROC HILLMAN WITNESS TO THE DORSEY BROTHERS BREAKUP......Page 149
LEGH KNOWLES FROM GLENN MILLER TO THE NAPA VALLEY......Page 152
JOHN LAPORTA FROM HERMAN TO MINGUS TO BERKLEE......Page 158
WILLIE SCHWARTZ AND PEGGY CLARK A BIG BAND ROMANCE......Page 164
CHICO SESMA FROM BIG BANDS TO LATIN JAZZ......Page 169
BUTCH STONE’S SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY......Page 174
PAUL TANNER FROM SKUNK HOLLOW TO GLENN MILLER TO UCLA......Page 177
ZEKE ZARCHY THE LIFE OF A SIDEMAN......Page 180
Photos for Part Two......Page 184
PART THREE THE VOCALISTS......Page 204
BOB EBERLY JIMMY DORSEY’S HITMAKER......Page 206
HERB JEFFRIES THE BRONZE BUCKAROO......Page 213
JACK LEONARD BIG BAND CROONER AND HOLLYWOOD BUSINESSMAN......Page 218
DOLORES O’NEILL THE BIG BAND ERA’S BEST KEPT SECRET......Page 222
ANDY RUSSELL EAST LOS ANGELES’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIG BAND ERA......Page 227
JO STAFFORD AN AMERICAN MUSICAL ICON......Page 231
KAY STARR – BIG BAND STAR AT 15......Page 237
GARRY STEVENS FROM CHARLIE SPIVAK TO TEX BENEKE TO A LIFE WITH THE BIG BANDS......Page 243
MARTHA TILTON AND THE ANGEL SANG......Page 249
BEA WAIN A LIFE IN MUSIC......Page 253
MARGARET WHITING STILL A CLASS ACT......Page 257
Photos for Part Three......Page 262
PART FOUR THE ARRANGERS......Page 274
FRANK COMSTOCK LES BROWN’S MAN OF RENOWN......Page 276
FLETCHER HENDERSON, DON REDMAN, AND SY OLIVER THE INVISIBLE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE BIG BAND ERA......Page 282
JOHNNY MANDEL FROM THE BIG BAND ERA TO OSCAR AND GRAMMY AWARDS......Page 286
Photos for Part Four......Page 292
PART FIVE THE CONTRIBUTORS......Page 300
CHUCK CECIL KEEPS THE BIG BAND ERA ALIVE......Page 302
HENRY HOLLOWAY SOUTH AFRICA’S BIG BAND LEGEND......Page 305
TOM SHEILS GLENN MILLER’S RIGHT-HAND MAN......Page 309
GEORGE T. SIMON GROWS UP......Page 315
Photos for Part Five......Page 318
PHOTO CREDITS......Page 326
Index......Page 327