Benny Goodman

NAME Benjamin David Goodman, known as Benny Goodman.

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Renowned American jazz clarinetist and bandleader, widely celebrated as the “King of Swing.”

BIRTH Born May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S..

FAMILY BACKGROUND He was the ninth child of David Goodman (a tailor) and Dora Grisinsky Goodman, Russian Jewish immigrants who struggled financially in Chicago’s Maxwell Street neighborhood. Benny was raised among twelve siblings, in an environment marked by hardship and poverty. Music became an important part of their lives, with several of the children, including Benny, taking up instruments.

CHILDHOOD Goodman's father introduced music as a way out of poverty, enrolling Benny and his brothers in lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. Benny showed extraordinary talent, excelling quickly and outplaying his siblings. His father's early death deeply affected Benny, who was only fifteen at the time, forcing him to help support the family through music.

EDUCATION Goodman attended the Lewis Institute (now Illinois Institute of Technology) briefly before leaving school at age fourteen to pursue his musical career full-time. 

He received his musical education through various instructors and by playing in different bands. He studied classical music with Franz Schoepp, a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who also taught the renowned clarinetist Buster Bailey, and played in bands at the Hull House. 

CAREER RECORD Goodman began playing professionally as a teenager, joining the Ben Pollack Orchestra at sixteen and recording his first solo in 1926. He moved to New York City, becoming a sought-after studio musician. 

1934 Benny Goodman formed his own orchestra in the spring of 1934, making its debut performance in June of that year.

1935: His Los Angeles performance on August 21, 1935 marked the “official” start of the Swing Era, after a disappointing tour suddenly ended with wild enthusiasm from young audiences.

1938: His landmark Carnegie Hall concert on January 16, 1938 was the first jazz orchestra performance at the prestigious venue, helping establish jazz as a respected art form.

Goodman continued innovating musically for decades, recording, touring internationally, and collaborating with classical musicians.

APPEARANCE Benny Goodman was of average height and slender build. He had short, dark hair, glasses, and a professional, neat demeanor.

Benny Goodman 1942

FASHION Goodman typically wore formal suits, dress shirts, and ties reflecting the style of bandleaders of the swing era. He was often pictured immaculately dressed for performances, embodying the sharp look of the 1930s and 1940s jazz scene.

CHARACTER He was known for being a perfectionist and having a demanding personality, often referred to as "The Ray," for the intense stare he would give to musicians who made a mistake. While this created some tension with his band members, it was also a reflection of his high standards and commitment to musical excellence.

Some musicians found him distant and intense, though he was also generous — often funding educations for friends and colleagues privately.

SPEAKING VOICE Soft-spoken with a Chicago accent, he was less commanding in speech than the theatrical flair of his music performances.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Goodman showed flashes of wit, especially in musical banter and backstage exchanges. His humor was understated and often dry.

RELATIONSHIPS Goodman married Alice Hammond Duckworth (sister of Columbia Records producer John Hammond) on March 20, 1942. They had two daughters and raised Alice’s three children from her first marriage to British politician Arthur Duckworth. One daughter, Rachel, became a classical pianist and sometimes performed in concert with her father, beginning when she was sixteen. 

John Hammond was a key figure in Goodman's career, encouraging him to hire black musicians and helping to arrange the famous Carnegie Hall concert, but they fell out in the late 1930s.

MONEY AND FAME By the height of the swing era, Goodman was one of the most famous and highest-paid musicians in the world. He became wealthy from his successful tours, record sales, and appearances in films, though he continued to live relatively modestly and contributed privately to charitable causes.

FOOD AND DRINK Goodman lived a relatively restrained lifestyle compared to many in show business, with no reputation for excess in food or alcohol.

CAREER AS BAND LEADER In 1934, Goodman, a clarinet prodigy from Chicago, formed his first big band The problem was that touring the country with a big band in the middle of the Depression was not what you’d call a reliable business model. By the time the orchestra rattled into California, they were, quite literally, nearly broke.

And then something curious happened. Goodman’s music had been played on a New York radio program called Let’s Dance. Because of the magic of time zones, when it went out late at night in New York, it was heard at a far more civilized hour on the West Coast, where people were, frankly, starved for something exciting. By the time Goodman arrived in Los Angeles, there was an eager audience already waiting for him—an improbable case of the clocks conspiring in his favor.

On August 21, 1935, the band opened at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. What followed was nothing short of pandemonium. Young audiences went berserk—screaming, dancing, applauding—behaving in ways that must have puzzled their parents no end. Historians now politely call it the official start of the Swing Era, but really it was the sound of America cutting loose after years of hard times. Overnight, Goodman and his orchestra went from weary travelers to household names.

Under Goodman’s tireless—and famously perfectionist—direction, the orchestra churned out classics like “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and “Let’s Dance.” He surrounded himself with some of the finest musicians of the age: Gene Krupa on drums, Harry James on trumpet, Lionel Hampton on vibraphone, and Teddy Wilson on piano. Even more remarkable, his smaller groups—the Trio, Quartet, and Sextet—were racially integrated at a time when much of America still thought segregation was perfectly sensible. In music, at least, Goodman wasn’t having any of it.

Then came January 16, 1938, when Goodman’s band did something almost unthinkable: they played Carnegie Hall. At first, Goodman dismissed the idea—jazz in America’s most august concert venue was about as likely as juggling at the Supreme Court. But tickets sold out weeks in advance, and suddenly jazz had been given the keys to the temple.

The concert itself began a little tentatively. The audience, unused to hearing swing in a hall more associated with Brahms than with brass, didn’t quite know how to react. By the end, though, they were on their feet, carried along by the irresistible rhythms. The night’s highlight was Goodman’s so-called “killer diller”: a searing version of “Sing, Sing, Sing”, driven by Gene Krupa’s pounding drums and capped by an unplanned, gorgeous piano solo from Jess Stacy. In that moment, jazz was not only thrilling but respectable—a genuine American art form.

Though the big band era waned after the war, Goodman kept at it, touring, recording, and even dipping into classical repertoire. He mentored younger musicians, stubbornly maintained his exacting standards, and never really slowed down.

In the end, Goodman’s story is the tale of a man whose clarinet turned chance, timing, and sheer determination into something bigger than music. He didn’t just play swing—he helped swing America itself into a new era. (1)

MUSIC AND ARTS Goodman’s artistry extended beyond jazz into classical music, recording works by Mozart, collaborating with the Budapest String Quartet and commissioning pieces from Bartók, Hindemith, and Copland. He was revered for his technical mastery and improvisational genius.

Benny Goodman enjoyed listening to opera, but it was relegated to the studio because his wife loathed it. (2)

LITERATURE Goodman’s autobiography, King of Swing, and other jazz histories include his story. He encouraged the publication of jazz studies and memoirs, supporting the documentation of swing era history.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Outside of music, Goodman reportedly enjoyed chess, but music consumed most of his life and energy. He also took frequent fishing trips—often in companionable silence with a close friend and neighbor.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Raised in a Jewish home, Goodman engaged with Jewish religious traditions in his youth. He was not known for expressing overt philosophical or theological views later in life.

POLITICS Goodman did not publicly align himself with a specific political cause or party.

He was the first white bandleader to integrate black musicians like Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, and Charlie Christian into his orchestra.

Goodman with Christian in a recording studio, April 1941

SCANDAL Goodman’s career was largely free of public scandal. His most public controversies involved demanding behavior toward band members and artistic disputes.

MILITARY RECORD During World War II, Goodman entertained troops and participated in war bond drives but did not serve in combat.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Benny Goodman suffered from significant back problems, specifically severe sciatica caused by a slipped spinal disc. By the summer of 1940, his condition became so torturous that he underwent urgent spinal surgery at the Mayo Clinic in July 1940. This operation forced him to temporarily break up his band and required a period of rest and recovery.

During his convalescence, Goodman had time to reflect on his music and his career, which led him to explore new musical directions and work with new arrangers and musicians once he resumed performing. This period helped refresh his artistic approach, and after recovering, he reorganized his band, incorporated new talents, and explored modern styles and repertoire.

HOMES Goodman lived in New York City most of his adult life after relocating from Chicago. He lived on a 1.22-acre property at 1287 Rock Rimmon Road in Stamford, Connecticut, from 1952 until his death in 1986. The home backed up to Rockrimmon Country Club, and this residence served as his retreat from the city for more than three decades. 

TRAVEL His career involved extensive travel — tours across the United States and internationally, including a landmark 1962 tour of the Soviet Union for the U.S. State Department. President John Kennedy described him as "our international ambassador with clarinet."

DEATH Benny Goodman died June 13, 1986, in New York City from heart failure, at age 77. His passing was widely mourned in the music world.

Benny Goodman’s funeral was a private, nonsectarian service attended by about 40 mourners. The ceremony lasted around 20 minutes, with Bible passages read by his five daughters. His eulogy was delivered by his attorney and friend, Bill Hyland. 

Goodman was buried beside his wife at Long Ridge Union Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut, near his long-time country home. Public memorial services were planned for a later date, following the wishes of his family

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Goodman appeared in several films, including The Big Broadcast of 1937, Hollywood Hotel (1937), A Song is Born (1948).

Goodman’s life was dramatized in the 1955 film The Benny Goodman Story, in which he was portrayed by actor Steve Allen, and for which he himself played clarinet on the soundtrack. 

He appeared on radio and television, and his music continues to feature in documentaries and retrospectives.

ACHIEVEMENTS Dubbed the “King of Swing.”

Pioneered racial integration in popular music by hiring black soloists.

Led the first jazz concert at Carnegie Hall (1938).

Inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame (1957).

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1986).

Sources: (1) Music History Calendar (2) Bennygoodman.com