orig. Benjamin David Goodman
born May 30, 1909, Chicago, Ill., U.S.
died June 13, 1986, New York, N.Y.
U.S. jazz clarinetist and leader of the most popular band of the swing era.
Goodman formed a big band in 1934, using arrangements by Fletcher Henderson . The band's sensational broadcast from Los Angeles's Palomar Ballroom in 1935 is seen as the beginning of the swing era. Goodman's band featured trumpeters Bunny Berigan, Ziggy Elman, and Harry James and drummer Gene Krupa , all of whom would establish big bands of their own. Goodman's small group was among the first racially integrated ensembles known to a wide public. His virtuosity and immense popularity earned him the sobriquet "King of Swing."