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Benny Goodman 's King Of Swing

Decent Essays

Britany Reed
Dr. Keast
Music
April 15, 2015
Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman the “King of Swing”. A man who owned the American Jazz and an amazing swing musician, clarinetist, and bandleader. This naming him as the infamous “King of Swing”. Goodman led the most popular musical groups known in America. Goodman was recognized as putting the most important jazz concert in history out to the public in 1938. Singlehandedly being the most recognized clarinet player for this era and doing it flawlessly. Many called him "The Professor", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "Swing 's Senior Statesman". Who would have ever believed a man coming from a poverty ridden Jewish family could be so successful? Success was an understatement for a man with such musical talent.
Benny Goodman, also known as Benjamin David Goodman, was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 30, 1909. He was one of nine children who were immigrants to David Goodman who was his father and Dora Grisinsky Goodman, his mother. His parents left Russia to escape the anti-Semitism, which many of us would recognize as the prejudice of Jewish people. Benny’s family was very poor and his mother never even learned to speak English. His father was the sole provider, and barely made ends meat working as a tailor to support his large family, of 12 children.
When Benny was around the age of 10, his father knew he had musical talent and sent him to study at a Synagogue in Chicago called Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. He was fascinated

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