Chick Webb
House band leader for the famous Savoy Ballroom, the home of the Lindy-hop, he suffered from a spinal problem that made him short and hunchbacked. At just seventeen years old, he formed his own band in 1926. His career was cut short when he died of tuberculosis at age thirty (Pener 112).
Fun fact: He discovered Ella Fitzgerald when she was just a kid and hired her at the Savoy.
BIG NAMES IN SWING
Duke Ellington
Originally Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke Ellington brought a new level of artistry to jazz music. Casey MacGill compared him to Cezanne and Monet saying, "He's one of the major impressionist painters of the twentieth century" (Pener 100). Over the course of his career Ellington wrote more than two thousand pieces of music (Pener 99). At his 100th birthday celebration in 1999 Ellington was acclaimed as one of America's most talented composers along side Gershwin and Copland (Pener 99).
Fun fact: He was notoriously superstitious, and he refused to wear yellow (Pener 100).
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Irving Mills
Irving Mills was a great lyricist of the swing era. Mills was most famous for his collaberations with Duke Ellington. He also started the Hotsy Totsy Gang with Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Arnold Brillhardt, Arthur Schutt, and Manny Klein. He sometimes used the psudenims Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose.
Harry James
James is known for being "one of the most inspiring trumpeters of his generation" (Pener 127). He found his claim to fame with the Benny Goodman Orchestra in their epochal concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. From there he went on to start his own band and marry the pinup queen Betty Grable (Pener 127).
Louis Prima
Prima was famous for creating a mix of Dixieland and knockout humor. He found fame in the 1950's in Las Vegas when he created a bridge between from the swing era into the world of lounge.
Fun fact: He voiced King Louie in Disney's 1967 animated film The Jungle Book.
Benny Goodman
Also known as the King of Swing, Goodman was credited with bringing the Harlem sound to the masses. Some historians say without Goodman "there might have been no swing era" (Pener 101). Goodman was especially important because he challenged the color barrier, hiring black musicians for his combos and full orchestra (Pener 101). You might know Goodman for his gift with the clarinet or his famous "prickly personality" (Pener 101).
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The Andrews Sisters
LaVerne, Maxene, and Pattie Andrews are the best selling girl group of all time. They were known for their innocent glee and tight harmonies (Pener 128).
The Andrews Sisters were also known for their service toward the effort of victory during World War II, working on patriotic radio segments and photoshoots (Sforza 82).
