Benny Goodman

@ National Portrait Gallery

Description

Dubbed "the King of Swing" after a riotously successful concert at Hollywood's Palomar Ballroom in 1935, Benny Goodman took swing music into the cultural stratosphere with his band's distinctive, pulsating sound. In 1938 he brought jazz to Carnegie Hall in a legendary concert that showcased virtuoso performances of "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and "Don't Be That Way." Goodman was also in the forefront of desegregating jazz, bringing such musicians as vibraphonist Lionel Hampton and pianist Teddy Wilson into his orchestra at a time when mainstream jazz was defined by black and white barriers. In the 1950s and 1960s, he toured extensively, bringing the swing era sound to new generations. He received a Kennedy Center Honors award in 1982.The sitter; his estate; donated by his daughters Benjie Goodman Lasseau and Rachel Goodman Edelson 1989 to NPG

Type:

Image

Format:

Oil On Canvas

Rights:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the daughters of Benny Goodman - Benjie Goodman Lasseau and Rachel Goodman Edelson

Benny Goodman

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