Jimmy Dorsey


James Francis Dorsey, professionally known as Jimmy Dorsey, was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You " and "It's The Dreamer In Me". His other major recordings were "Tailspin", "John Silver", "So Many Times", "Amapola", "Brazil ", "Pennies from Heaven" with Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Frances Langford, "Grand Central Getaway", and "So Rare". He played clarinet on the seminal jazz standards "Singin' the Blues" in 1927 and the original 1930 recording of "Georgia on My Mind", which were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Early life

Jimmy Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, United States, the first son of Theresa Langton Dorsey and Thomas Francis Dorsey. His father, Thomas, was initially a coal miner, but would later become a music teacher and marching-band director. Both Jimmy and his younger brother, Tommy Dorsey, were musically active during their childhoods and by the age of seven, Jimmy was already playing with his father's band. He made his first public appearance at the age of 9 while playing trumpet with J. Carson McGee's King Trumpeters in New York in 1913. He switched to alto saxophone in 1915, and then learned clarinet. Jimmy Dorsey played on a clarinet outfitted with the Albert system of fingering, as opposed to the more common Boehm system used by most of his contemporaries including Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw.
With his brother Tommy playing trombone, they formed Dorsey's Novelty Six, later called Dorsey's Wild Canaries, one of the first jazz bands to broadcast. In 1924 he joined the California Ramblers. He did much freelance radio and recording work throughout the 1920s. The brothers also appeared as session musicians on many jazz recordings. He joined Ted Lewis's band in 1930, with whom he toured Europe. The same year, he played clarinet on the iconic jazz standard "Georgia on My Mind" in 1930 with Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra which featured Bix Beiderbecke on cornet. Dorsey married Jane Porter in 1928, they had one daughter, Julia. Jane Porter and Dorsey divorced in 1949.

Career

During his early days as a musician, Jimmy Dorsey performed with various ensembles and artists, including the Scranton Sirens, The California Ramblers, Red Nichols, Jean Goldkette, Frankie Trumbauer, Ben Pollack, and Paul Whiteman. He played the clarinet solo on the iconic 1927 jazz standard "Singin' the Blues", with the Frankie Trumbauer Orchestra featuring Bix Beiderbecke. After returning to the United States from his European tour, he worked briefly with Rudy Vallee, and with several other bandleaders; and likewise with his brother Tommy -- including starting their famed eponymous band. He appeared on at least seventy-five radio broadcasts, many of them with his brother. He was a member of Nathaniel Shilkret's orchestra, on programs such as "The Music That Satisfies".
Glenn Miller arranged and played trombone on several early sessions that he and his brother Tommy did together for OKeh Records, including "The Spell of the Blues", "Let's Do It", and "My Kinda Love" -- all with Bing Crosby on vocals.
In 1927, the brothers created the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra and signed with Okeh Records. For some of their sessions, Glenn Miller would join them as trombonist, arranger, and composer; composing Annie's Cousin Fanny", "Tomorrow's Another D ay", "Harlem Chapel Chimes", and "Dese Dem Dose". Their first song to chart was "Coquette", composed by the brothers with vocals from Bill Dutton in June, 1928. Their song, "Let's Do It " with vocals by Bing Crosby, was their first to reach the top ten charts. Despite their success, the brothers frequently disagreed over management of the band and their conflict would come to a head in May 1935 when, after an onstage disagreement, Tommy stormed off.

Movie appearances and filmography

Dorsey appeared in a number of Hollywood motion pictures, including That Girl From Paris, Shall We Dance, The Fleet's In, Lost in a Harem with Abbot and Costello, I Dood It, and the bio-pic with his brother Tommy, The Fabulous Dorseys in 1947.
In 1938, Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra also appeared in a movie short performing many of his hits including "It's the Dreamer in Me", "I Love You in Technicolor", and "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps".
Dorsey appeared in:
  • Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra
  • The Fleet's In
  • I Dood It
  • Four Jills in a Jeep
  • Lost in a Harem
  • Hollywood Canteen
  • The Fabulous Dorseys

    Compositions

  • "Dixieland Band From Santa Claus Land"
  • "Mood Hollywood"
  • "Shim Sham Shimmy"
  • "So Many Times" -which reached no. 20 in 1939 on Billboard, staying on the charts for one week, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded the song, as well as Jack Teagarden and His Orchestra.
  • "Beebe"
  • "Oodles of Noodles"
  • "John Silver" with Ray Krise, which reached no. 13 on Billboard in 1938, staying on the charts for 2 weeks
  • "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps"
  • "Dusk in Upper Sandusky" with Larry Clinton
  • "Shoot the Meatballs to Me Dominick Boy" with Toots Camarata
  • "A Man and his Drums"
  • "Mutiny in the Brass Section
  • "Praying the Blues"
  • "Contrasts", his theme song
  • "Major and Minor Stomp"
  • "Hep-Tee Hootie " with Fud Livingston and Jack Palmer
  • "I Bought A Wooden Whistle"
  • "Tailspin" with Frankie Trumbauer, the classic jazz standard
  • "I'm Glad There Is You "
  • "Clarinet Polka"
  • "I Love You in Technicolor"
  • "All The Things You Ain't" with Babe Russin
  • "JD's Boogie Woogie"
  • "Jumpin' Jehosaphat"
  • "I'll Do Anything For You"
  • "Any Time at All"
  • "Two Again"
  • "It's Anybody's Moon"
  • "Dixieland Detour"
  • "Shades of Twilight"
  • "Dorsey Stomp"
  • "Grand Central Getaway" with Dizzy Gillespie
  • "Sunset Strip" and "The Champ" with Sonny Burke
  • "Town Hall Tonight"
  • "Outer Drive" with Herb Ellis
  • the jazz standard "It's the Dreamer in Me" with Jimmy Van Heusen - recorded by Duke Ellington and others.
Dorsey co-wrote the jazz and pop standard " I'm Glad There Is You" with Paul Madeira, also known as Paul Mertz, in 1941. Mertz had been a pianist with the Jean Goldkette orchestra in the 1920s and had worked in Hollywood. Sung by Dorsey vocalist Bob Eberly, it was released on Decca as 4197B in 1942. It was also released on Decca 18799A with Dee Parker in 1946.

Number-one hits

Jimmy Dorsey had eleven number one hits with his orchestra in the 1930s and the 1940s:
  • "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?"
  • "Change Partners"
  • "The Breeze and I"
  • "Amapola"
  • "My Sister and I"
  • "Maria Elena"
  • "Green Eyes"
  • "Blue Champagne"
  • "Tangerine"
  • "Besame Mucho"
  • "Pennies from Heaven" with Bing Crosby.
  • "So Rare", which went to the No. 2 position, and was on the record charts for 26 weeks.
In 1935, he had two more number ones as part of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra: "Lullaby of Broadway" and "Chasing Shadows". His biggest hit was "Amapola", which was number one for ten weeks in 1941 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

Honors

In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey commemorative postage stamp.
In 2009, the Recording Academy added the 1942 recording of "Brazil ", by Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra, to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Loss of materials

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Jimmy Dorsey among the artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

VDisc Recordings

  • Julia, No. 117A, 1940
  • John Silver, No. 117B, 1940
  • The Breeze /You, You Darlin', No. 217B, 1940
  • The Great Lie, No. 283A;Navy 63A, 1944
  • Sunset Strip, No. 326A; Navy 106A, 1944
  • Contrasts/Oh! What A Beautiful Mornin', No. 314A; Navy 94A, 1944
  • Grand Central Getaway/All the Things You Ain't, No. 391B, 1944
  • Long John Silver, No. 409B; Navy 189B, 1944
  • Jumpin' Jehosaphat, No. 470B; Navy 189B, 1944
  • Together, No. 514A; Navy 274A

    Grammy Hall of Fame

Jimmy Dorsey's recordings were posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."