When swing was the thing : personality profiles of the big band era

The Big Band Era Of 1935 To 1946 Was The Only Time In America's History When Jazz Was The Most Popular Form Of Music. Fifteen Piece Swinging Dance Bands Swept The Country In Popularity. The Music They Played Became An Important Part Of America's Cultural History And Created A Level Of Morale That Helped Pull Us Through The Great Depression And World War Ii. When Swing Was The Thing Presents Both An Excellent Introduction To The Era And New Information For Those Already Familiar With It, Providing Detailed Profiles Of The Era's Bandleaders, Musicians, Vocalists, Arrangers, And Contributors, Many Based On Personal Interviews. This Book Fully Captures The Nostalgic Flavor Of The Big Band Era Through 114 Vintage Photographs And The Story Of The Lives Of The People Who Made It Happen.--publisher's Information. Part One : The Band Leaders. Van Alexander ; Benny Goodman ; Horace Heidt ; John Kirby ; Kay Kyser ; Billy May ; Ray Mckinley ; Alvino Rey And The King Sisters ; Jan Savitt ; Artie Shaw ; Orrin Tucker ; Chick Webb And Mario Bauza ; Gerald Wilson -- Part Two : The Musicians. Ernani Bernardi ; Milt Bernhart ; Buddy Childers ; Jack Costanzo ; Rosalind Cron ; Alan Greenspan ; Jake Hanna ; Roc Hillman ; Legh Knowles ; John Laporta ; Willie Schwartz And Peggy Clark ; Chico Sesma ; Butch Stone ; Paul Tanner ; Zeke Zarchy -- Part Three : The Vocalists. Bob Eberly ; Herb Jeffries ; Jack Leonard ; Dolores O'neill ; Andy Russel ; Jo Stafford ; Kay Starr ; Garry Stevens ; Martha Tilton ; Bea Wain ; Margaret Whiting -- Part Four : The Arrangers. Frank Comstock ; Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman And Sy Oliver ; Johnny Mandel -- Part Five : The Contributors. Chuck Cecil ; Henry Holloway ; Tom Sheils ; George T. Simon. John R. Tumpak. Errata Slip Inserted. Includes Index. 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