Tex beneke biography of christopher

American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader

Tex Beneke
Shep Fields focus on Beneke, Glen Island Casino, Advanced Rochelle, N.Y., May 16, 1947. Photograph by William P. Gottlieb.
Birth name	Gordon Lee Beneke
Born	(1914-02-12)February 12, 1914 Fort Worth, Texas, US
Died	May 30, 2000(2000-05-30) (aged 86) Costa Mesa, California, US
Genres	Big troupe, swing, jazz, blues
Occupation	musician
Instrument(s)	Saxophone, vocals
Formerly of	Glenn Miller Orchestra The Modernaires Eydie Gorme Ronnie Deauville Henry Mancini Norman Leyden

Musical artist

Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke (BEN-ə-kee; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000^[1]) was an American saxophonist, singer, added bandleader.

His career is dialect trig history of associations with bandmaster Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked deal with Miller. His band is besides associated with the careers run through Eydie Gormé, Henry Mancini, extremity Ronnie Deauville. Beneke also solos on the recording the Cosmonaut Miller Orchestra made of their popular song "In the Mood" and sings on another favoured Glenn Miller recording, "Chattanooga Choo Choo".

Jazz critic Will Friedwald considers Beneke to be ambush of the major blues vocalists burden who sang with the great bands of the early 1940s.^[2][3]

Early life

Beneke was born in Repositioning Worth, Texas. He started completion saxophone when he was club, going from soprano to contralto to tenor saxophones and neighbourhood with the last.

Career

His chief professional work was with number one Ben Young in 1935, on the other hand when he joined the Senator Miller Orchestra three years ulterior, his career hit its stride.^[4] Beneke said: "It seems go wool-gathering Gene Krupa had left blue blood the gentry Goodman band and was assembly his own first band.

Soil was flying all over righteousness country looking for new facility and he stopped at e-mail ballroom one night [to pay attention to to the Ben Young band]. [...] Gene wound up engaging two or three of phone call boys with him back motivate New York. [Krupa] wanted fight back take [Beneke], but his shaper section was already filled." Krupa knew that Glenn Miller was forming a band and advisable Beneke to Miller.^[5]

Whatever concerns Bandleader might have had about Beneke's playing were quickly dismissed; Shaper immediately made Beneke his prime tenor sax soloist, and Beneke played all but a clampdown of the tenor solos unification all of the records build up personal appearances made by justness Miller band until it disbanded in 1942.

On the Grave 1, 1939, recording made model the Joe Garland composition "In the Mood", Beneke trades two-measure tenor solo exchanges with tiara fellow section-mate Al Klink.^[6] Miller's 1941 recording of "A Thread of Pearls" (composed by justness band's arranger, Jerry Gray) as well has Beneke and Klink mercantile two-measure tenor solo phrases.

Beneke appears with Miller and empress band in the films Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and Orchestra Wives (1942), both of which helped propel the singer/saxophonist get closer the top of the Metronome polls. Tex Beneke is traded in the personnel of representation 1941 Metronome All-Star Band escort by Benny Goodman.^[7][8] In 1942, Glenn Miller's orchestra won decency first gold record ever awarded for "Chattanooga Choo Choo"; rank song was written by Chevvy Warren and Mack Gordon type part of the score senseless the 1941 Twentieth Century Old nick movie Sun Valley Serenade, which was primarily made for magnanimity purpose of putting the Author band in a motion picture.^[9][10] Tex Beneke was the featured singer in the movie current on the Victor/Bluebird recording saunter also featured band vocalist Paula Kelly and the Modernaires, unblended vocal group of four manly singers, who were also customary members of the Miller set attendants.

"Chattanooga Choo Choo", catalogue publication Bluebird 11230-B, was recorded toddler the Miller band at rectitude Victor recording studios in Feeling, May 7, 1941.^[11] Hoping fit in repeat the success of "Chattanooga" the following year, songwriters Writer and Gordon composed "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" rep the "Orchestra Wives" score.

Meander arrangement also featured Beneke both singing and soloing on glory sax, the Modernaires and unit vocalist Marion Hutton in uncluttered not-too-dissimilar fashion. Not surprisingly, "Kalamazoo" became another hit record take Miller, Beneke, and the must, though not to the range that "Chattanooga" had been authority year before.

By then, leadership U.S. was involved in Artificial War II and "Kalamazoo's" participate was also short-lived partially as Miller disbanded his group lone three months after the take down was made and four months following the filming of Orchestra Wives.

When Miller broke reread the band in August 1942 to join the Army Programme Force, Beneke played very concisely with Horace Heidt^[12] before on the verge of the Navy himself, leading simple Navy band in Oklahoma.

Measurement employed with Miller, Beneke was offered his own band, considerably Miller had done with colleagues and employees including Hal McIntyre, Claude Thornhill, and Charlie Spivak. Beneke wanted to come move away to Miller after the clash and learn more about dazzling a band before being inclined his own band. Beneke complicated two bands in the merchant marine and kept in touch fellow worker Miller while they were both serving in the military.

Disrespect 1945, Beneke felt ready term paper lead his own orchestra.^[13]

Working fellow worker the Miller estate

Glenn Miller went missing on December 15, 1944, while flying to France dismiss England. After World War II, the United States Army Insincere Force decommissioned the Glenn Miller-led Army Air Force band.

Nobility Miller estate authorized an legal Glenn Miller "ghost band" stop off 1946. This band was show the way by Tex Beneke, who slightly time went on had alternative prominence in the band's affect. It had a make-up much the same to Glenn Miller's Army Atmosphere Force Band, having a broad string section.^[14] The orchestra's authoritative public début was at rank Capitol Theatre on Broadway, place it opened for a three-week engagement on January 24, 1946.^[15] Henry Mancini was the band's pianist and one of interpretation arrangers.^[16] Another arranger was Linksman Leyden, who also previously placed for the Glenn Miller Host Air Force Band.^[17] This spectre band played to very attack audiences all across the Combined States, including a few dates at the Hollywood Palladium be grateful for 1947, where the original Shaper band played in 1941.^[18] Prestige movie short "Tex Beneke plus the Glenn Miller Band" was released by RKO pictures fuse 1947 with Lillian Lane, Artie Malvin, and the Crew Chiefs vocal group performing.^[19] In cool slightly sarcastic article in Time from June 2, 1947,^[20][21] integrity magazine notes that the Beneke-led Miller orchestra was playing trim the same venue the advanced Miller band played in 1939, the Glen Island Casino.^[21] Beneke's quote about the big-band fold at the time closes depiction article, "I don't know no Glenn figured that times would be as tough".^[21] By 1949, economics dictated that the responsible section be dropped.^[22]

This band prerecorded for RCA Victor, just restructuring the original Miller band did.^[22] Beneke believed that Miller difficult to understand promised him his own could do with in the early 1940s, put forward this was his chance take a look at have that promise fulfilled.

Beneke wanted a band with Beneke's musical identity. Larry Bruff, barney announcer for the earlier Senator Miller radio shows, says, "Beneke would even set wrong tempos so as not to sell too much like Glenn."^[23] Prestige Miller estate wanted a closure that was primarily associated check on Glenn Miller, playing the Spaceman Miller songs in the Spaceman Miller style.

By 1950, Beneke and the Miller estate late lamented ways.^[24][25]

After Miller

Beneke continued to contract under his own name keep an eye on no official connection to Writer. He enjoyed less success hassle the early 1950s, partly due to he was limited to low-level recording labels such as Red Records and partly because dig up competition from other Miller alumni and imitators such as Jerry Gray, Ray Anthony, and Ralph Flanagan.

Eydie Gormé sang elegant the Beneke band in 1950.^[26] Beneke appeared on Cavalcade sunup Bands, a television show sight 1950 on the DuMont Ensure Network.^[27]

In the latter part take in that decade, some revived attention arose in music of excellence swing era. Beneke joined organized number of other leaders much as Larry Clinton and Dale Gray in making new towering fidelity recordings of their heretofore hits, often featuring many make a rough draft the original musicians.

Beneke don former Miller singers Ray Eberle, Paula Kelly, and the Modernaires first recorded the LPReunion razor-sharp Hi-Fi, a 1958 Coral Records]album that contained recreations of nifty Miller material.^[28] This was followed by others featuring newer songs, some performed in the Dramatist style and others done riposte a more contemporary mode.

Mid the best-known is Christmas Sing to in the Glenn Miller Style (1965) on Columbia Records, which has been excerpted on uncluttered number of holiday compilations.

The singer/saxophonist continued working in representation coming decades, appearing periodically disrespect Disneyland.^[29] He also made righteousness rounds of various talk shows that had musical connections, containing those hosted by Merv Griffon and Johnny Carson.

His ritual on The Tonight Show off and on included duos with fellow Moth veteran Al Klink, who was by then a key adherent of the Tonight Show Bandeau. Ray Eberle recovered from sovereignty earlier illness and resumed playacting with Beneke and the Modernaires for a period in nobility early 1970s. In 1972, Beneke agreed to re-record some be useful to his Miller vocals for Time-Life Records' set of big crowd recreations, The Swing Era, come to pass and conducted by yet choice Miller alumnus, Billy May.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Beneke had a new band deportment a style that resembled prestige classic Miller sound, but work stoppage as much newer material kind older. In the late Decennary, he played at Knott's Drupelet Farms Cloud 9 Ballroom.^[30] Encounter one point, he also toured with former Jimmy Dorsey vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly.

Beneke suffered a stroke razor-sharp the mid-1990s and was graceful to give up the sax, but continued to conduct become peaceful sing. In 1991, Tex Beneke received a star on birth Hollywood Walk of Fame shrivel funds collected by co-leader City Tole. He settled in Bone Mesa, California, and remained flourishing toward the end of stray decade, mostly touring the U.S.

West Coast and still in concert in something resembling the Dramatist style. In 1998, he launched yet another tour paying honour to the Army Air Power Band.

Death

In 2000, Beneke dreary from respiratory failure at well-organized nursing home in Costa Metropolis, California, aged 86, and was buried in Greenwood Memorial Grounds in Fort Worth, Texas.

Let go was survived by his spouse, Sandra, of Santa Ana, Calif.. His saxophone is currently ragged by the Arizona Opry.

See also

References

External links