The Swing Era

The teenagers danced the lindy, jitterbug and bobby-soxers were doing the big apple and the shag. In 1935, Goodman became the "King of Swing." Goodman, it might be added, was among the first to break the color barrier. Up to this point, black and white musicians were not allowed to work together in the same band. However, when it came to music, Goodman stated, "I don't look at the color of a man's skin, I listen to what he can do with his instrument." Therefore, Teddy Wilson, a black pianist was added to the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

The Goodman trio consisted of Goodman, (clarinet), Teddy Wilson, (piano), and Gene Krupa, (drums). Shortly after that, Goodman added another black musician to the trio--Lionel Hampton, (vibes), making it a quartette. The quartette was augmented to a sextet when he added Charlie Christian, (guitar), and another black musician Cootie Williams, (trumpet).

From 1936 to 1939, the band was at its peak. The musicians in the band were Vito Musso, Hymie Schertzer, Arthur Rollini, and George Koenig, (saxophones), Harry James, Ziggy Elman and Chris Griffin, (trumpets), Red Ballard and Murray McEachern, (trombones), Harry Goodman, (Benny's brother on bass), Allan Reuss, (guitar), Jess Stacy, (piano), and Gene Krupa, (drums). Fletcher Henderson, Edgar Sampson and Jimmy Mundy were the arrangers.

January 16, 1938, New York's Carnegie Hall was the location for one of the great swing band concerts with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. This was the first time any big band ever played there.