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The "King of Swing" during the
SWING era of the 1930s and '40s, the clarinetist Benjamin
David "Benny" Goodman, b. Chicago, May 30, 1909,
d. June 13, 1986, led one of the greatest of the big bands.
Although Fletcher HENDERSON's band had been playing swing
for several years (and Goodman used many Henderson arrangements)
from the mid-1930s, Americans danced to Goodman's music. In
addition to his band, the Benny Goodman Trio, with drummer
Gene KRUPA and pianist Teddy WILSON--the first black musician
to be featured with a popular white group--was formed in 1935.
It soon expanded to include vibraphonist Lionel HAMPTON, guitarist
Charlie CHRISTIAN, and many other jazz greats. After 1945,
Goodman played almost exclusively with small groups. He also
played as a soloist with classical orchestras.
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