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In the News
• Italy invades Ethiopia (1935)
• Nazi Germany repudiates Treaty of Versailles; annexes Saarland (1935)
• Spanish Civil War begins (1936)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt elected to second term as president of the United States in landslide vote (1936)
• U.S. athlete Jesse Owens dominates track events at Berlin Summer Olympics (1936)
• King Edward VIII abdicates British throne to marry Wallis Warfield Simpson (1936)
On the Bookshelf
• It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis (1935)
• Of Time and the River, by Thomas Wolfe (1935)
• Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck (1935)
• How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie (1936)
• Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell; wins Pulitzer Prize (1936)
• Eugene O'Neill awarded Nobel Prize in literature (1936)
At the Movies
• Anna Karenina, starring Greta Garbo (1935)
• Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton (1935)
• Modern Times, with Charlie Chaplin (1936)
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, directed by Frank Capra (1936)
Out and About
• Dance craze of the day is the rumba (1935)
• Cocktail of choice in nightclubs and dance halls is the Tom Collins; cost: 35 cents (1935)
• Pan American Airways System offers 32-hour flights from Europe to the United States; cost: $395 one way (1936)
• BBC begins television service (1936)
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"Let's Dance" (Baldridge/Stone/Bonime), performed by Benny Goodman
The Swing Era is generally said to have begun during a performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles in August 1935, when Benny Goodman and his band brought the house down with their brash new sound. From that time on, the clarinetist was known as the "King of Swing." Over the years, his various ensembles included such legendary sidemen as drummer Gene Krupa, vibist Lionel Hampton and guitarist Charlie Christian.
"I Can't Get Started With You" (Duke/Gershwin), performed by Bunny Berigan
One of the top trumpeters of the Swing Era, Berigan was known for his spontaneous, inventive solos, which were subsequently put down on paper and used in the band of his longtime employer, Tommy Dorsey. In 1938, a year after leaving Dorsey, Berigan formed his own band -- which featured Georgie Auld on tenor sax and Buddy Rich on drums -- and immediately scored a hit with "I Can't Get Started With You." A heavy drinker, Berigan ended up bankrupt. He rejoined the Dorsey band before his untimely death in 1942 at age 33.
"Got a Date With an Angel" (Waller/Tunbridge/Grey/Miller), performed by Skinnay Ennis
On this record, Skinnay Ennis displayed the shy, breathless vocal style that earned him national popularity during his stint with the Hal Kemp band in the mid-1930s. Ennis eventually left Kemp's band to form his own orchestra and found fame on Bob Hope's radio program. He later starred on Abbott and Costello's program and continued to work in various groups through the 1950s.
The music featured on this page is from the Big Band Magic 2-CD set available as a thank-you gift when you pledge the Big Band Magic! program.
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Copyright © 2003 KQED, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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