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Armstrong, Louis Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), also known as "Satchmo", is the most beloved of American trumpet players. Armstrong, one of the great American jazz performers, was a musician, singer and band leader. Although his voice was raspy, he had excellent pitch and rhythm, and his trumpet playing was smooth and graceful. Over the years, Armstrong had many popular recordings including "Mack the Knife" (1956), "Blueberry Hill" (1956), and "Hello Dolly" (1964). My mother loved Louis Armstrong and, for many years, she had a small statue of him on the piano. Today, that same statue sits on top of my piano. Louis Armstrong trivia: While he was alive, Armstrong believed his birthday to be July 4, 1900. However, in 1983, his birth certificate was discovered, showing he was actually born on August 4, 1901. Web:
Baker, Chet I first encountered the music of Chet Baker (1929-1988) not long after he died, when I saw a documentary about his life. I bought one of his CDs, then another, then another. It didn't take long to realize that Baker, a trumpet player and singer, was blessed with the type of raw, natural talent that rarely comes to this world. Where other musicians would have to practice continually, Baker could just stand up and play. Although he never learned to read music, Baker became a master of style, playing with a soft, elusive and haunting spirit. Despite his good looks and increasing success, Baker's life was ultimately a tragic one, mired by drug addiction and conflict. In 1968, he got into a fight with other drug addicts in San Francisco and had his teeth knocked out, although he did go back to playing two years later. He died in Amsterdam, at the age of 58, after falling out of a hotel window. Web:
Crosby, Bing "The secret of Bing Crosby's popularity," my father once told me, "is that he sang the way everyone else thinks they sing in the shower." Moreover, he made it look easy. Bing Crosby (1903-1977) had a beautiful, resonant voice, charming and entertaining people for several decades. Over his lifetime, Crosby made about 2,000 recordings, his most well-known being the Irving Berlin song "White Christmas" (1942). He was also a star of radio, television and movies. Overall, Crosby made 104 films, including the "Road" series with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. My favorite Crosby movies are the musicals, especially "Holiday Inn" (1942) with Fred Astaire, and "White Christmas" (1954) with Danny Kaye. Over the years, Crosby received many awards, including a 1945 Academy Award for his role as Father O'Malley in the movie "Going My Way". At the age of 73, Crosby died of a heart attack in Madrid, Spain, just after finishing a round of golf. Web:
Fitzgerald, Ella Ella Fitzgerald (1918-1996) was a singer who mastered all the genres associated with American jazz, including ballads, blues, swing, bebop and scat. In the process, she sang both modern songs and classics, developing a marvelous style and diversity of range that earned her many honors as America's first lady of jazz. If it was singable, Fitzgerald could sing it, and with more feeling and skill than almost anyone else. I once saw her give a concert. It was late in her life, and her strength was failing. She had trouble standing the whole time, but her voice, her rhythm and her sheer professional skill were unmistakable. As Ira Gershwin (the brother and partner of composer George Gershwin) once remarked, "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them." Web:
Gershwin, George By melding the idioms of jazz with the classical traditions of Stravinsky, Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart, George Gershwin (1898-1937) defined twentieth-century American music. Gershwin's list of familiar and seminal works is a long one. It includes songs such as Fascinating Rhythm, Swanee (sung by Al Jolson), Isn't it a Pity, Someone to Watch Over Me, 'S Wonderful, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, Oh Lady Be Good, I Got Rhythm, They All Laughed, Love Is Here To Stay, and They Can't Take That Away From Me, as well as longer works such as Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, An American in Paris, and the opera Porgy and Bess. During his lifetime, Gershwin wrote the music for many plays and revues, music that has been featured in countless movies, most notably the Woody Allen film Manhattan. Gershwin was a genius who was able to take the musical vernacular of his time and recast it in an original manner that would change the American music scene forever, and give hours of enduring pleasure to music lovers around the world. Who could ask for anything more? Web:
Goodman, Benny Benny Goodman (1909-1986) was a clarinetist and band leader. More than anyone, Goodman can be considered the father of the swing era, popularizing the big-band style of music during a time when jazz was still not respectable. For years, Goodman toured the U.S., first as part of other bands, and then, for many years, as the leader of his own bands. Even today, listening to Benny Goodman play the clarinet can make you marvel, not only at his skill as an innovative arranger and band leader, but as an enormously talented soloist. Some of his most popular songs include "Stompin' at the Savoy", "Moonglow" and "Sing, Sing, Sing". Web:
Guthrie, Woody To many people, singer and composer Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) is the embodiment of American folk music. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Guthrie toured the United States, writing and singing inspirational songs about hardship and social injustice. His best-known song, "This Land Is Your Land" (1940) is the de facto national anthem of folk music. Guthrie was a prolific creator, his songs, ballads and poetry being embodied with an understanding for the problems of the common man. Much of his life was spent in a peripatetic journey devoted to political and social reform. In his later years, Guthrie suffered from Huntington's Chorea, an incurable degenerative disease of the nervous system, which eventually killed him. Guthrie was the father of singer and composer Arlo Guthrie ("Alice's Restaurant"). Web:
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Holiday, Billie Billie Holiday (1915-1959) was a legendary jazz and blues singer, creating a highly personal style and mystique with her passionate, emotional singing. By all accounts, Holiday had a tough life. Her mother was 13 when Holiday was born, and most of her life was spent in poverty. Even after she became successful, Holiday never managed to accumulate much wealth, owing to a longstanding addiction to heroin and poor choices in men. Holiday's most influential song, her signature tune, was "Strange Fruit", a controversial ballad about the racial discrimination she encountered during her career. (Holiday was African American.) Another one of her well-known songs was "God Bless the Child", which she wrote. Holiday died at the young age of 44, but her recognition as a seminal voice in American jazz lives on. Web:
Miller, Glenn Glenn Miller (1904-1944) was an innovative bandleader, composer and arranger. Miller was a trombonist, who for many years played and arranged music for Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. In 1938, he began touring with a band of his own and, before long, achieved a following that was to make his orchestra one of the most popular of the big-band era. In 1942, Miller received the first-ever gold record for selling over one million copies of "Chattanooga Choo Choo". His other well-known songs include "Moonlight Serenade" (his theme song), "In the Mood", "Tuxedo Junction" and "Pennsylvania 6-5000". During World War II, Miller joined the Army Air Force, where he organized a large orchestra to entertain the troops. In 1944, Miller was killed when his plane disappeared, en route from England to Paris in bad weather. Web:
Shore, Dinah There are two reasons why Dinah Shore (1917-1994) was one of the most popular singers of the 1940s: she was very talented, and she was very nice. People not only liked listening to her -- she could sing anything in a pleasant, easy-going manner -- they honestly liked her as a person. Moreover, she was the epitome of the blond, glamorous Hollywood singer, the role model for every young girl who ever dreamed about growing up to be famous. Shore's professional career started when she was 14, when she first performed in a nightclub. However, her big break did not come until she was 23 (in 1940) when the well-known entertainer Eddie Cantor brought her onto his popular radio show as a regular performer. Three years later, in 1943, she got her own radio show and, from then on, was rarely out of the public eye. In the 1940s, she recorded a long string of hits -- making her the top female singer in the United States -- and filmed a handful of pleasant, entertaining movies. In 1951, she became the first woman to host her own variety show, staying on TV until the early 1960s. In the 1970s, she returned to television for ten years, singing, chatting with guests, cooking, and doing what she did best: being a friendly, wholesome person who knew how to make everyone feel good. Web:
Sinatra, Frank Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) was undoubtedly one of the greatest musical artists of this century. Sinatra's phrasing, timing and pitch were as good as they get, and his natural ability as a romantic crooner made him a favorite of countless music lovers around the world. During his more than five decades as an active performer, Sinatra was just about the only singer who had no reason to be jealous of Bing Crosby. Web:
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