Benny Goodman.

Goodman received early clarinet training and performed with orchestras led by Bix Beiderbecke, Jules Herbuveaux, Arnold Johnson, and Ben Pollack, as well as in Broadway theater orchestras. Born Benjamin David Goodman on May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois, to Dora Grisinsky and David Goodman, he attended Harrison Technical High School and later studied at the Lewis Institute and under Schillinger and Schoepp. These experiences gave him the technical foundation and industry connections that led to his success as a bandleader.

Goodman began leading his own orchestra in 1934 at the Billy Rose Music Hall. He then conducted the orchestra on the weekly radio program Let’s Dance from 1934 to 1935, reaching a national audience. He performed at hotels, colleges, and theaters across the country and expanded into chamber music concerts. His chief musical collaborators included Count Basie, Harry James, Mitchell Parish, Andy Razaf, Edgar M. Sampson, Chick Webb, and Teddy Wilson. Among his popular songs and instrumental compositions are Stompin’ at the Savoy, Don’t Be That Way, Flying Home, and Air Mail Special. He joined ASCAP in 1945 and toured throughout the US, Europe, the Far East, South America, and the USSR.

Benny Goodman married Alice Hammond Duckworth on March 20, 1942. They had two daughters: Rachel born May 2, 1943 and Benjie born April 1946. He also had three step-daughters: Gillian, Shirley, and Sophia, all of whom lived in Goodman’s home. His funeral in 1986 included a nonsectarian service and Bible passages read by all five daughters, with a eulogy given by his attorney and friend Bill Hyland. He was interred at Long Ridge Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut.

Benny Goodman transformed American popular music by popularizing swing through his clarinet virtuosity and innovative big band arrangements. His 1934-1935 Let’s Dance radio program and performances at Carnegie Hall helped legitimize jazz as an art form. He inspired later musicians and was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors in 1982, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, and charter induction into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1978. He is remembered as The King of Swing, whose work like Stompin’ at the Savoy remains a swing-era anthem.