Benny Goodman Birthday Highlights
Birth Name Benjamin David Goodman
Place Of Birth Chicago, USA Age 114 years old
Birth Date May 30 1909
Benny Goodman Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Musician Education & Qualifications
Net Worth $17,000,000
Current Partner Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth Children Rachel Goodman Edelson, Benjie Goodman Lasseau Parents David Goodman, Dora Grisinsky
About Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman was an American musician and jazz clarinetist (who also plays classical music!) widely known as the ‘King of Swing.‘Benny Goodman was born to poor Jewish emigrants in Chicago, Illinois, on May 30, 1909. He was the ninth child of David Goodman’s and Dora Grisinsky’s 12 children.Growing up, his father took Benny Goodman and his siblings to Douglass Park for free band concerts. Benny Goodman and two of his brothers were enrolled in music lessons to gain skills and appreciate music. From that point, Benny strived and became a famous musician and clarinetist in the music industry. On June 13, 1986, he died of a heart attack at the age of 77.Please continue reading to learn more about this outstanding jazz musician, Benny Goodman, including his biography, personal life, career, net worth, family, and other trivia.Net Worth, Earnings & Spending HabitsWhat was Benny Goodman’s net worth?Benjamin David Goodman gained much fame and fortune during his lifetime. His net worth was approximately $17 million.How much did Benny Goodman earn per year?Currently, there is no record of Benny Goodman’s annual income.Height, Age & Physical AttributesHow tall was Benny Goodman?While alive, Benny Goodman was 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) tall.How old was Benny Goodman?Benny Goodman celebrated his birthday on May 30 every year. He died at the age of 77 in 1986.Childhood And EducationBenjamin David Goodman (widely known as Benny Goodman) was born in Chicago to a low-income family of Jewish emigrants from Russian Empire on May 30, 1909. Benny was the ninth child of 12 children born to David Goodman and Dora Grisinsky. David Goodman became a tailor after migrating to the United States from Warsaw in partitioned Poland in 1892 and later met Benny’s mother, Dora, in Baltimore, Maryland. Before the birth of Benny, the couple moved to Chicago, Illinois, to the Maxwell St. neighborhood after a while.Growing up was so difficult for Benny Goodman and his siblings being a child from a poor background. His father earned less than $20 a week. However, Benny’s parents tried their best to get the Goodman family their basic needs and satisfy their wants as much as possible. Benny’s father took his children to free band concerts in Douglass Park while they were still young.Later, he enrolled ten-year-old Benny and two of his siblings in music lessons at the Kehillah Jacob Synagogue in 1919. For two years, Benny Goodman received instructions from Franz Schoepp, a classically trained clarinetist. The following year, Goodman joined the boy’s band club at Hull House to receive lessons and teachings from James Sylvester. For the first time in his life, Goodman left his neighborhood to spend two weeks at a summer camp near Chicago.On getting his first union card at age 13, he played at the local dance hall, Guyon’s Paradise. Benny Goodman attended the Lewis Institute (Illinois Institute of Technology) and played the clarinet in a dance hall band as a high-school sophomore. Benny’s father was killed by a moving car after stepping off a streetcar. Benny was just 17 when his father died.Family, Romance, And RelationshipsWho was Benny Goodman’s partner?Benny Goodman married Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth, former wife of British politician Arthur Duckworth. Alice was also the sister of Columbia producer John Hammond. Alice and Benny married on March 20, 1942, and had two daughters, Rachel Goodman Edelson and Benjie Goodman Lasseau. Benny and his wife raised Alice’s three daughters from her first marriage with Arthur Duckworth. One of Goodman’s daughters, Rachel, became a classical pianist and began performing with her father at age 16.Career And Professional HighlightsBest Known For…Benny Goodman is best known as a clarinetist. He is also known as the King of the Swing Era.Benny’s passion and interest in music began when he was young. However, he dropped out of school to focus on his ambitions in the music industry. New Orleans jazz clarinetists like Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, and Leon Roppolo, who worked in Chicago during their lifetimes, were Goodman’s early influences.Benny made his professional debut in 1921 and became a member of the American Federation of Musicians featuring Bix Beiderbecke in 1923. In 1926, Goodman made the first of his recordings, ‘A Jazz Holiday’ after joining the Ben Pollack Orchestra in Los Angeles, where he became a leading soloist.After releasing his first album, Goodman moved to New York City, working as a session musician for radio, broadway musicals, and in the studio. He worked on several radio shows with famous jazz artists like Fats Waller, Ted Lewis, and Bessie Smith. In 1934, Goodman became the bandleader of his self-titled orchestra group ‘The Benny Goodman Orchestra.‘Benny hired members of Fletcher Henderson’s disbanded orchestra to teach his musicians how to play the music. Benny’s band regularly performed on ‘Let’s Dance,’ an NBC radio show. ‘Moonglow’ is an instrumental piece by Benny that experienced a big hit. Later, the band began taking tours across the country and gained popularity for introducing a new type of music.Fletcher Henderson released ‘King Porter Stomp’ and ‘Sometimes I’m Happy’ on July 31, 1935. Although some audience members at Stanley Theater enjoyed and danced to the song, the same could not be said at McFadden’s Ballroom in Oakland, California. However, Benny Goodman and his band made history after performing the same songs arranged by Henderson.The incredible performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, which took place on August 21, 1935, is often described as the beginning of the Swing Era, and Benny is regarded as the King of Swing. Goodman also received praises for being one of the first white persons to form an integrated band of white and black people, thereby shunning racism.At age 28, Benny was already a famous and successful singer whose songs were being played on the radio. At a point, Germany’s Nazi party banned jazz from being played on the radio, claiming it was a part of the Jewish conspiracy to destroy the culture. Goodman and his band began CBS’s radio show ‘Carmel Caravan’at the end of 1936 and ran till 1939. Among the most significant events in jazz history occurred on January 16, 1938, when Goodman and his band played ‘Carnegie Hall’ in New York City.Throughout the late ’30s, Goodman succeeded with his big band, trio, quartet, and sextet. In August 1939, he ended a four-year partnership with RCA Victor and continued his music journey at Columbia Records, where his brother-in-law, John Hammond, produced most of the recordings. However, big bands lost their popularity in the mid-’40s after the union of musicians went on strike against the major record labels in the United States. Later on, in the late ’40s, new artists and singers sprung forth, which made the swing become a minority style of jazz artists.Due to the drastic decline in the adoption of swing, Goodman moved to classical music, where he premiered works of composers like Malcolm Arnold’s ‘Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Op. 115’, Aaron Copland’s ‘Clarinet Concerto,’ and Francis Poulenc’s ‘Sonata for Clarinet and Piano.’ In his later years, Goodman played on records and in small groups and collaborated with George Benson in the early ’70s. He continued performing despite his health conditions until he breathed his last breath in his apartment in Manhattan House.Benjamin David Goodman began acting in 1936, appearing as himself in the film ‘The Broadcast of 1937’. Its success prompted Benny to create several films himself. Some include ‘The Hollywood Hotel,’ ‘Sweet And LowDown,’ ‘The Benny Goodman Story,’ and ‘Syncopation.‘Benny Goodman was an avid supporter of racial integration in the United States. During his lifetime in the early ’30s, black and white musicians could not perform together in most clubs and concerts. The segregation was worse in the Southern States due to the complete enforcement of the Jim Crow Law. However, Benny did not join in the segregation. He hired Teddy Wilson (an American jazz pianist) for his trio and Lionel Hampton (an American jazz vibraphonist) for his quartet.What awards did Benny Goodman win?In 1957, Benny Goodman was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, radio division. Before his death in June 1986, Benny was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received honorary doctorates from the University of Illinois, Bard College, Harvard University, and Yale University.Other Interesting Benny Goodman Facts And TriviaBenny Goodman does not play the clarinet alone. He also plays the alto saxophone and baritone saxophone.Goodman was known to be a strict bandleader who demanded and sought perfection from his band subordinate. His bossy acts reduced the number of players he had drastically as most of his players left to create their band groups.Benjamin David Goodman died in his apartment in Manhattan House on June 13, 1986. He died from a heart attack six days after his final presentation.Main image credit: Olga Popova /Shutterstock
Benny Goodman Birthday Highlights
Birth Name Benjamin David Goodman
Place Of Birth Chicago, USA Age 114 years old
Birth Date May 30 1909
Benny Goodman Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Musician Education & Qualifications
Net Worth $17,000,000
Current Partner Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth Children Rachel Goodman Edelson, Benjie Goodman Lasseau Parents David Goodman, Dora Grisinsky
Benjamin David Goodman was an American musician and jazz clarinetist (who also plays classical music!) widely known as the ‘King of Swing.’
Benny Goodman Birthday Highlights
Birth Name Benjamin David Goodman
Place Of Birth Chicago, USA Age 114 years old
Birth Date May 30 1909
Benny Goodman Birthday Highlights
Birth Name Benjamin David Goodman
Place Of Birth Chicago, USA Age 114 years old
Birth Date May 30 1909
Birth Name Benjamin David Goodman
Place Of Birth Chicago, USA Age 114 years old
Birth Date May 30 1909
Birth Name Benjamin David Goodman
Place Of Birth Chicago, USA Age 114 years old
Birth Date May 30 1909
Benny Goodman Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Musician Education & Qualifications
Net Worth $17,000,000
Current Partner Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth Children Rachel Goodman Edelson, Benjie Goodman Lasseau Parents David Goodman, Dora Grisinsky
Benny Goodman Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Musician Education & Qualifications
Net Worth $17,000,000
Current Partner Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth Children Rachel Goodman Edelson, Benjie Goodman Lasseau Parents David Goodman, Dora Grisinsky
Child Star? no Occupation Musician Education & Qualifications
Net Worth $17,000,000
Current Partner Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth Children Rachel Goodman Edelson, Benjie Goodman Lasseau Parents David Goodman, Dora Grisinsky
Child Star? no Occupation Musician Education & Qualifications
Net Worth $17,000,000
Current Partner Alice Frances Hammond Duckworth Children Rachel Goodman Edelson, Benjie Goodman Lasseau Parents David Goodman, Dora Grisinsky
