Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) 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 (In This World of Ordinary People)" and "It's The Dreamer In Me". His other major recordings were "Tailspin", "John Silver", "So Many Times", "Amapola", "Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil)", "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.
For the American sport shooter, see Jimmie Dorsey (sport shooter).
Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey
February 29, 1904
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, U.S.
June 12, 1957 (aged 53)
New York City, NY, U.S.
- Bandleader
- musician
- composer
1913–1957
Early life[edit]
Jimmy Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, United States, the first son of Theresa Langton Dorsey and Thomas Francis Dorsey.[1] 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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
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 (who were based in New York City). He did much freelance radio and recording work throughout the 1920s.[4] The brothers also appeared as session musicians on many jazz recordings. He joined Ted Lewis's band in 1930, with whom he toured Europe.[3] 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.[5] Dorsey married Jane Porter in 1928, and they had one daughter, Julia. Jane Porter and Dorsey divorced in 1949.[6]
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 Abbott 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".
Films in which Dorsey appeared:
Dorsey co-wrote the jazz and pop standard "(In This World of Ordinary People) 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.[25] It was also released on Decca 18799A with Dee Parker in 1946.
Jimmy Dorsey had eleven number one hits with his orchestra in the 1930s and the 1940s:
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[edit]
In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey commemorative postage stamp.[26]
In 2009, the Recording Academy added the 1942 recording of "Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil)", by Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra, to the Grammy Hall of Fame.[27]
Dorsey and his band made a number of V-Discs when the program was in operation.