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 Artie
Shaw. Artie Shaw
was one of jazz's finest clarinetists and led several successful bands
throughout his career. Born in May 1910 in New York, NY, he grew up in
New Haven, CT. By his early twenties, he was playing in bands, jam
sessions, and working steadily as a studio musician in New York City.
He put together a big band orchestra
in 1937 and the surprise success
of his 1938 recording of Begin the Beguine made him a superstar and the
band one of the most popular of the swing era.
Shaw found the
business and fan pressure of leading a big band difficult and disbanded in 1939. He continue to form other bands, most often
with success.
Whatever his
feelings about stardom, Shaw’s bands could really swing.
After Pearl Harbor, Shaw enlisted in
the4 U.S. Navy and led a Navy
band until 1944. The band toured the south pacific, playing for
sailors and marines, and had many close calls from enemy fire.
He left the music business in 1955. He was
also well known for his eight marriages, including to actresses Lana
Turner and Ava Gardner.
He remained outspoken until his death in
December 2005 in Thousand Oaks, CA.
Some of his classic tunes (besides
"Begin the Beguine") include "Traffic Jam";
"Non Stop Flight"; "Man From Mars"; "The Yam"; "Copenhagen"; and
"Carioca". |
