Benny Goodman - The King of Swing. Early Life Benjamin David Goodman was born on May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the ninth child of immigrants David Goodman and Dora Grisinsky Goodman, who left Russia to escape anti-Semitism. Benny's mother never learned to speak English. His father worked for a tailor to support his large family, which eventually grew to include a total of 12 children, and had trouble making ends meet.
When Benny was 10 years old, his father sent him to study music at Kehelah Jacob Synagogue in Chicago. There, Benny learned the clarinet under the tutelage of Chicago Symphony member Franz Schoepp, while two of his brothers learned tuba and trumpet. Talent and Success Benny's aptitude on the clarinet was immediately apparent. When Benny was 16, he was hired by the Ben Pollack band and moved to Los Angeles. Then, in 1933, Benny began to work with John Hammond, a jazz promoter who would later help to launch the recording careers of Billie Holiday and Count Basie, among many others. The King of Swing. Benny Goodman. JAZZ A Film By Ken Burns: Selected Artist Biography - Benny Goodman.
Benny Goodman Powered by Oxford University Press. Goodman, Benjamin David (1909-1986) Clarinetist, composer, and bandleader Benny Goodman received rudimentary musical training in 1919 at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue and the next year joined the boys club band at Jane Addams's Hull House, where he received lessons from the director James Sylvester. Also important during this period were his two years of instruction from the classically trained clarinetist Franz Schoepp. Goodman made his professional debut in 1921 at the Central Park Theater in Chicago with an imitation of Ted Lewis. In 1923, Goodman joined the musicians' union and played regularly with Murph Podalasky and Jules Herbevaux. In August 1925, Goodman left for Los Angeles to join Ben Pollack.
In November 1934, Goodman auditioned successfully for Let's Dance, an NBC radio series. In August 1936, the Benny Goodman Trio became a quartet with the addition of Lionel Hampton. As a jazz clarinetist, Goodman had no peer.