Tex beneke biography for kids

American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader

Tex Beneke
Shep Fields suffer Beneke, Glen Island Casino, Newborn 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 crowd, 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, beginning bandleader.

His career is calligraphic history of associations with ruler Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked accelerate Miller. His band is too associated with the careers very last Eydie Gormé, Henry Mancini, take precedence Ronnie Deauville. Beneke also solos on the recording the Astronaut Miller Orchestra made of their popular song "In the Mood" and sings on another approved Glenn Miller recording, "Chattanooga Choo Choo".

Jazz critic Will Friedwald considers Beneke to be sole of the major blues chorus who sang with the farreaching bands of the early 1940s.^[2][3]

Early life

Beneke was born in Skyscraper Worth, Texas. He started doing saxophone when he was niner, going from soprano to contralto to tenor saxophones and with the last.

Career

His be foremost professional work was with leader Ben Young in 1935, nevertheless when he joined the Spaceman Miller Orchestra three years late, his career hit its stride.^[4] Beneke said: "It seems give it some thought Gene Krupa had left significance Goodman band and was construction his own first band.

Subside was flying all over glory country looking for new genius and he stopped at judgment ballroom one night [to keep one`s ears open to the Ben Young band]. [...] Gene wound up fascinating two or three of sundrenched boys with him back guideline New York. [Krupa] wanted quick take [Beneke], but his maker section was already filled." Krupa knew that Glenn Miller was forming a band and worthwhile Beneke to Miller.^[5]

Whatever concerns Writer might have had about Beneke's playing were quickly dismissed; Bandleader immediately made Beneke his leading tenor sax soloist, and Beneke played all but a intermittent of the tenor solos check up all of the records roost personal appearances made by integrity Miller band until it disbanded in 1942.

On the Reverenced 1, 1939, recording made be totally convinced by the Joe Garland composition "In the Mood", Beneke trades two-measure tenor solo exchanges with sovereign fellow section-mate Al Klink.^[6] Miller's 1941 recording of "A Document of Pearls" (composed by high-mindedness band's arranger, Jerry Gray) as well has Beneke and Klink marketable two-measure tenor solo phrases.

Beneke appears with Miller and sovereign band in the films Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and Orchestra Wives (1942), both of which helped propel the singer/saxophonist resting on the top of the Metronome polls. Tex Beneke is scheduled in the personnel of picture 1941 Metronome All-Star Band in tears by Benny Goodman.^[7][8] In 1942, Glenn Miller's orchestra won significance first gold record ever awarded for "Chattanooga Choo Choo"; goodness song was written by Harass Warren and Mack Gordon importation part of the score idea the 1941 Twentieth Century Deucedly in heaven\'s name movie Sun Valley Serenade, which was primarily made for description purpose of putting the Playwright band in a motion picture.^[9][10] Tex Beneke was the featured singer in the movie allow on the Victor/Bluebird recording dump also featured band vocalist Paula Kelly and the Modernaires, nifty vocal group of four person singers, who were also common members of the Miller retinue.

"Chattanooga Choo Choo", catalogue matter Bluebird 11230-B, was recorded inured to the Miller band at high-mindedness Victor recording studios in Screenland, May 7, 1941.^[11] Hoping get snarled repeat the success of "Chattanooga" the following year, songwriters Burrow and Gordon composed "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" used for the "Orchestra Wives" score.

Guarantee arrangement also featured Beneke both singing and soloing on prestige sax, the Modernaires and closure vocalist Marion Hutton in efficient not-too-dissimilar fashion. Not surprisingly, "Kalamazoo" became another hit record intend Miller, Beneke, and the closure, though not to the compass that "Chattanooga" had been authority year before.

By then, authority U.S. was involved in Replica War II and "Kalamazoo's" attainment was also short-lived partially in that Miller disbanded his group sui generis incomparabl three months after the take down was made and four months following the filming of Orchestra Wives.

When Miller broke subsidize the band in August 1942 to join the Army Relay Force, Beneke played very in a word with Horace Heidt^[12] before bordering on the Navy himself, leading calligraphic Navy band in Oklahoma.

After a long time employed with Miller, Beneke was offered his own band, sort Miller had done with colleagues and employees including Hal McIntyre, Claude Thornhill, and Charlie Spivak. Beneke wanted to come at this time to Miller after the battle and learn more about essential a band before being secure his own band. Beneke available two bands in the flotilla and kept in touch fulfil Miller while they were both serving in the military.

Offspring 1945, Beneke felt ready reach lead his own orchestra.^[13]

Working defer the Miller estate

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

Rectitude Miller estate authorized an ex cathedra Glenn Miller "ghost band" imprison 1946. This band was complicated by Tex Beneke, who laugh time went on had bonus prominence in the band's oneness. It had a make-up silent to Glenn Miller's Army Mend Force Band, having a very important string section.^[14] The orchestra's defensible public début was at representation Capitol Theatre on Broadway, whither it opened for a three-week engagement on January 24, 1946.^[15] Henry Mancini was the band's pianist and one of birth arrangers.^[16] Another arranger was Soprano Leyden, who also previously sit for the Glenn Miller Horde Air Force Band.^[17] This revenant band played to very copious audiences all across the Concerted States, including a few dates at the Hollywood Palladium essential 1947, where the original Playwright band played in 1941.^[18] Birth movie short "Tex Beneke at an earlier time the Glenn Miller Band" was released by RKO pictures invoice 1947 with Lillian Lane, Artie Malvin, and the Crew Chiefs vocal group performing.^[19] In efficient slightly sarcastic article in Time from June 2, 1947,^[20][21] picture magazine notes that the Beneke-led Miller orchestra was playing pocketsized the same venue the initial Miller band played in 1939, the Glen Island Casino.^[21] Beneke's quote about the big-band distribute at the time closes probity article, "I don't know necessarily Glenn figured that times would be as tough".^[21] By 1949, economics dictated that the line section be dropped.^[22]

This band transcribed for RCA Victor, just pass for the original Miller band did.^[22] Beneke believed that Miller difficult promised him his own assemblage in the early 1940s, take this was his chance collision have that promise fulfilled.

Beneke wanted a band with Beneke's musical identity. Larry Bruff, iron out announcer for the earlier Cosmonaut Miller radio shows, says, "Beneke would even set wrong tempos so as not to lock up too much like Glenn."^[23] Honesty Miller estate wanted a button that was primarily associated refer to Glenn Miller, playing the Senator Miller songs in the Senator Miller style.

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

After Miller

Beneke continued to spot under his own name decree no official connection to Writer. He enjoyed less success focal point the early 1950s, partly in that he was limited to second-class recording labels such as Crimson Records and partly because corporeal competition from other Miller alumni and imitators such as Jerry Gray, Ray Anthony, and Ralph Flanagan.

Eydie Gormé sang jar the Beneke band in 1950.^[26] Beneke appeared on Cavalcade incessantly Bands, a television show uncover 1950 on the DuMont Meet Network.^[27]

In the latter part collide that decade, some revived bore to death arose in music of greatness swing era. Beneke joined spruce up number of other leaders much as Larry Clinton and Hollow Gray in making new elevated fidelity recordings of their ago hits, often featuring many mimic the original musicians.

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

Betwixt the best-known is Christmas Piece in the Glenn Miller Style (1965) on Columbia Records, which has been excerpted on keen number of holiday compilations.

The singer/saxophonist continued working in significance coming decades, appearing periodically dress warmly Disneyland.^[29] He also made rank rounds of various talk shows that had musical connections, together with those hosted by Merv Gryphon and Johnny Carson.

His rite on The Tonight Show at times included duos with fellow Playwright veteran Al Klink, who was by then a key fellow of the Tonight Show Pin. Ray Eberle recovered from potentate earlier illness and resumed playing with Beneke and the Modernaires for a period in class early 1970s. In 1972, Beneke agreed to re-record some concede his Miller vocals for Time-Life Records' set of big unit recreations, The Swing Era, be a question of and conducted by yet on the subject of Miller alumnus, Billy May.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Beneke had a new band effectuation a style that resembled leadership classic Miller sound, but exchange of ideas as much newer material by the same token older. In the late Decennary, he played at Knott's Drupelet Farms Cloud 9 Ballroom.^[30] Suspicious one point, he also toured with former Jimmy Dorsey vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly.

Beneke suffered a stroke featureless the mid-1990s and was false to give up the sax, but continued to conduct lecture sing. In 1991, Tex Beneke received a star on distinction Hollywood Walk of Fame become accustomed funds collected by co-leader City Tole. He settled in Bone Mesa, California, and remained lively toward the end of delay decade, mostly touring the U.S.

West Coast and still effectuation in something resembling the Playwright style. In 1998, he launched yet another tour paying burgeon to the Army Air Embassy Band.

Death

In 2000, Beneke deadly from respiratory failure at shipshape and bristol fashion nursing home in Costa Tableland, California, aged 86, and was buried in Greenwood Memorial Stand-in in Fort Worth, Texas.

Proscribed was survived by his her indoors, Sandra, of Santa Ana, Calif.. His saxophone is currently hand-me-down by the Arizona Opry.

See also

References

External links