Benny Goodman (born Benjamin David Goodman) ws born and raised in a tenement in Chicago's Maxwell Street ghetto in 1909. ... It seemed that music was the destiny for young Benny Goodman, but tragedy in the family put Benny's music progression on hold. ... Benny Goodman and his band (all fifteen of them including Jess Stacy, Gordon Griffin, Hymie Schertzer, George Koenig, Allen Reuss, Vernon Brown, Red Ballard, Arthur Rollini, Babe Russin, Harry Goodman (on string bass) and Martha Tilton as vocalist made a name for themselves and while creating a sensation and a massive success that ...

• Word Count: 1880
• Approx Pages: 8

A young drummer from the late 1930's who watched Webb regularly named Allen Paley said "Chick had great energy and power, even though he was chronically ill. ... His father died when Gene was young and his mother worked as a milliner to support the family. Gene and all of his brothers and sisters had to start working at a young age. ... His brother Pete worked at "Brown Music Company", and got Gene a job as chore boy. ... However before Krupa joined Goodman's band he discovered Chick Webb. ...

• Word Count: 2503
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

She even claimed that the nuns at the school forced her to sleep next to the body of young girl who had died in order to teach her lesson. ... One night Billie was singing in a club when John Hammond, a young record producer came and heard her singing. ... Because he was impressed and blown away by her singing he introduced her to Benny Goodman who then gave Billie, eighteen at the time, her first records "Your Mother's Son-In-Law" and "Riffin' the Scotch," the latter being her first hit. Because of her unique expressive and sorrowful and melonchiily singing style, she also got an op...

• Word Count: 2313
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School