Benny Goodman

The King of Swing! Famed clarinetist, composer ("Stompin' at the Savoy") and conductor, educated at the Lewis Institute in Chicago and a student of Schillinger and Schoepp. He was a clarinetist with the orchestras of Bix Beiderbecke, Jules Herbuveaux, Arnold Johnson and Ben Pollack, and also played in Broadway theater orchestras. He began to lead his own orchestras in 1934 at the Billy Rose Music Hall, then conducted the orchestra on the weekly radio program "Let's Dance" in 1934-1935, and played at numerous hotels, colleges and theaters. Expanding his musical efforts, he performed in chamber music concerts, later touring throughout the US, Europe, the Far East, South America and the USSR and made many recordings.

He had two daughters: Rachel (born May 2, 1943) and Benjie (born April, 1946). He also had three step-daughters: Gillian, Shirley, and Sophia. All five daughters grew up in Benny's house.

Charter inductee of the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1978.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 337-340. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.

Benny Goodman was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.

Pictured on one of a set of four 29¢ US commemorative postage stamps in the Legends of American Music series, issued 11 September 1996, celebrating big band leaders. Other band leaders honored in this issue are Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, and Jimmy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller.