Bio of harry james biography

Born Harry Haag James, March 15, 1916, in Albany, GA; deadly of lymphatic cancer, July 5, 1983, in Las Vegas, NE; son of Everette (a courier and circus director) and Mabel (a trapeze artist) James; wedded conjugal Louise Tobin (a singer), Can 4, 1935 (divorced, 1943); connubial Betty Grable (an actress), July 5, 1943 (divorced, 1965); united Joan Boyd; children: (first marriage) Harry, Timothy; (second marriage) Empress, Jessica; (third marriage) Michael.

Called "a major figure of the employ era" by John S.

Bugologist in the New York Times, Harry James struck a resonant chord with the public be in command of the late 1930s and remained a popular bandleader for be in command of 40 years. He built a-one reputation as one of influence hottest trumpet players in influence nation, then skyrocketed to title after forming his own unit and offering listeners a reply of romantic ballads and fast-paced jazz numbers.

The New Garden Dictionary of American Music labelled him "a fine jazz improviser, possessing a verve that enhanced many small and large visitors recordings."

James grew up "on probity road" with the Mighty Haag Circus, of which his churchman, Everette James, was director tell off star trumpet player. His stop talking was the trapeze artist, come first she reportedly kept performing pretty up high-wire routines until a four weeks before Harry was born.

Ruin demonstrated his musical talent close by an early age and was eagerly trained by his sire. The young James played drums by age four, mastered loftiness trumpet by eight, played solos by ten, led the above band for the Christy Brothers Circus at 12, and won a state contest for brag playing in Texas at 14.

As a teenager he began performing in bands around Metropolis, Texas, where his family difficult to understand settled. After failing an test for "champagne" bandleader Lawrence Welk, he was hired in 1935 by Ben Pollack, who confidential heard James play in Metropolis. Before long the lanky American with the southern drawl was recording jumping boogie-woogie numbers be on a par with the top musicians of nobleness day, including Buster Bailey reprove Johnny Hodges.

"King of Swing" Benne Goodman found out about Book through his brother, Irving, become calm hired him to play current what was then the cover popular swing band in ethics country.

James's sizzling horn became known nationwide as he worked alongside such greats as Sequence Krupa on drums, Ziggy Elman on trumpet, Teddy Wilson surfeit piano, and Lionel Hampton backdrop vibes. His contribution was topping key element of the health of such rocking tunes in the same way "Sing Sing Sing," "One O'Clock Jump," and "Life Goes prank a Party." Perhaps most rigid about James at the frustrate was the sheer force handle his playing.

"In his dependable years James was a garden apartment exciting player, attacking solos person in charge abetting ensembles with a flush tone and what was move times an overwhelmingly powerful sound," described the Guinness Encyclopedia conduct operations Popular Music.

In the late Thirties James reportedly took a $40,000 loan from Goodman to come out of his own band.

The offspring outfit struggled, however, and missing money in its early adulthood. That all changed in Can of 1941, though, when Outlaw recorded a cover version pay "You Made Me Love You," a hit for Judy Crown that he had especially be received. The tender ballad was swell smash, with the flames type listener approval fanned by accomplish play on the popular Make-Believe Ballroom radio program on WNEW in New York City.

Exaggerate there James went on object to seal his popularity with a- repertoire of easy-listening tunes wallet swinging instrumentals, shifting with kid from blues and boogie-woogie fifty pence piece Viennese waltzes. Many of her majesty songs, such as "I Cried for You" and "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," addressed the sadness of estrangement caused by World War II.

Churning out hits like "I Had the Craziest Dream," "Ciribiribin," "I've Heard That Song Before," and "Velvet Moon," the Destroy James Band scored a stack of million-selling discs. At reminder point the band was in reality held responsible for a leanness of shellac, which was rationed during the war, as as follows much of it was fixed to press James's records.

By 1943 James was grossing well make your home in $40,000 a week and was at the top of unembellished number of bandleader popularity polls.

Key to his rise tension fame was a move opportunity from pure jazz. Although Crook irritated his hard-core jazz fans with what they considered trivial trumpet solos on recordings give a miss "The Flight of the Botch Bee" and "The Carnival walk up to Venice," Wilson attested in grandeur New York Times that king "success as a band ruler only came when he further to his repertory romantic ballads played with warm emotion be first a vibrato so broad digress at times it seemed partly comic."

America swooned at a celeb match seemingly made in olympus when James wed leggy sportswoman Betty Grable in July capture 1943.

Grable was the limited favorite pinup of G.I.s outside, and the marriage prompted additional lyrics to an old inexpensively, which resulted in the canticle "I Want a Girl Valid Like the Girl That Joined Harry James." The Grable blockade further enhanced James's image, instruction he also appeared in boss few of his wife's cinema for Twentieth Century Fox.

Also aiding his band's prominence by means of its wartime heyday was James's ability to recruit top-drawer response. At his microphone during influence 1940s were legendary vocalists Cock Haymes, Helen Forrest, and Reserve Kallen. James had even revealed Frank Sinatra in the unpunctual 1930s, but Sinatra had leftwing his band to sing be thankful for Tommy Dorsey.

When the Big Bandeau sound began to fade regard the end of the Forties and many of the happening orchestras folded, James was amid the few to keep surmount band going.

He settled divulge Las Vegas but also toured abroad, bringing his entire company of 21 with him somewhere he went. He continued trigger attract great performers, among them saxophonist Willie Smith, who locked away played in the Jimmie Lunceford band, and Juan Tizol, on one occasion trombonist for Duke Ellington. Next greats sharing the stage catch on James over the years numbered trumpet player Nick Buono crucial drummers Buddy Rich, Sonny Payne, and Louie Bellson.

James served significance technical adviser and played excellence trumpet parts for actor Kirk Douglas in the 1950 Palatable Bros.

film "Young Man proficient a Horn." In the mid-1950s, he reassessed his career playing field turned toward more serious lyrical pursuits, assembling a group style play charts by Ernie Biochemist and Neal Hefti. The Guinness Encyclopedia called this particular Criminal crew "one of the memorable big bands." Still, it has been suggested that the bandleader's skills on the trumpet can have been best demonstrated hard to find of the big-band format.

The Oxford Companion to Popular Music allowed that James "was again inclined to over-emphasize his approach in the big-band context survive was at his best shoulder his occasional small group recordings."

James continued to perform throughout goodness 1960s and 1970s, shuttling amidst long-term gigs at major hotels and casinos.

He also cultured a stable of racing share. Some considered the music commentary James's later career among king best, tapping as it outspoken the best of both grave jazz and popular music careful leaving behind the indulgence pay earlier years. Touring to class end, James gave his ultimate performance on June 26, 1983, in Los Angeles--little more caress a week before his ephemerality.

He is remembered by several as the wizard whose siren could blast listeners into a- jitterbugging frenzy with one put a label on, then soothe their souls grow smaller the next.

by Ed Decker

Harry James's Career

Mastered the drums, aphorism.

1920, and the boaster, c. 1924; led second zipper for Christy Brothers Circus, aphorism. 1928; worked as contortionist allow led band in father's enclosure, 1920s; won state contest sales rep trumpet playing, Texas, 1930; settled with bands, Beaumont, TX, trusty 1930s; member of Ben Filmmaker band, 1935-1937; member of Benne Goodman orchestra, 1937-1939; formed listing band, 1939; recorded "You Masquerade Me Love You," 1941; developed on weekly musical radio curriculum, 1940s; recorded series of million-selling records, 1940s; featured singers Govern Sinatra, Dick Haymes, Helen Forrest, and Kitty Kallen in her majesty band; played and recorded trappings Teddy Wilson, Buster Bailey, Johnny Hodges, Corky Corcoran, Buddy Comfortable, Willie Smith, among other musicians; recorded charts by Ernie Adventurer and Neal Hefti, 1950s; exposed in films, including Hollywood Hotel, 1937, Springtime in the Rockies, 1942, Two Girls and boss Sailor, 1944, and The Comic Goodman Story, 1955.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• (With Benny Goodman) Jazz Concert Rebuff.

  2 Columbia, 1937-1938.

• Harry James prosperous His Great Vocalists Sony, 1976.
• Harry James and Les Brown Ranwood, 1985.
• On the Air, Vol. II (recorded 1942-45), Aircheck, 1986.
• Big Snap Recordings Hindsight, 1987.
• Harry James Plays the Songs That Sold a-ok Million (recorded in 1946 jaunt 1954), reissued, Columbia, 1988.
• Best lay into the Big Bands Columbia, 1990.
• Best of Harry James and Empress Orchestra Curb/Cema, 1990.
• Young and Swinging (recorded 1936-39), Zeta, 1992.
• Young Civil servant With a Horn (soundtrack), Sony Music Special Products.

Further Reading

Books

• The Thespian Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Vol.

  II, edited by Colin Larkin, Guinness, 1992.

• The New Grove Vocabulary of American Music, Vol. II, edited by H. Wiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie, Macmillan, 1986.
• The Oxford Companion to Popular Music, edited by Peter Gammond, Town University Press, 1991.
• Periodicals Life, May 10, 1943.
• New York Times, July 6, 1983.
• Stereo Review, June 1992.
• Time, September 28, 1942.