Goodman was regarded by some as a demanding taskmaster, by others an arrogant and eccentric martinet. Many musicians spoke of The Ray, Goodman's trademark glare that he bestowed on a musician who failed to perform to his demanding standards. Anita O'Day and Helen Forrest spoke bitterly of their experiences singing with Goodman. "The twenty or so months I spent with Benny felt like twenty years," said Forrest. "When I look back, they seem like a life sentence." He could also be incredibly self-absorbed; it is reported that when eating an egg onto which a ketchup bottle cap had fallen, Goodman simply ate around it. At the same time, there are reports that he privately funded several college educations and was sometimes very generous, though always secretly. When a friend asked him why one time, he reportedly said, "Well, if they knew about it, everyone would come to me with their hand out."
Some suggest that Elvis Presley had the same success with rock and roll that Goodman achieved with jazz and swing. Without Goodman there would not have been a swing era. It is true that many of Goodman's arrangements had been played for years before by Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. While Goodman publicly acknowledged his debt to Henderson, many young white swing fans had never heard Henderson's band. While most consider Goodman a jazz innovator, others maintain his main strength was his perfectionism and drive. Goodman was a non - pariel virtuoso clarinetist and -along with only Artie Shaw, amongst the most technically proficient jazz clarinetists of all time.
Goodman is also responsible for a significant step in racial integration in America. In the early 1930s, black and white jazz musicians could not play together in most clubs or concerts. In the Southern states, racial segregation was enforced by the Jim Crow laws. Benny Goodman broke with tradition by hiring Teddy Wilson to play with him ] in the Autumn of 1936. He then added Lionel Hampton on vibes in December, 1936, and in the early Summer of 1939 he augmented the famous "quartette" with pioneering jazz guitarist Charlie Christian to his band and small ensembles, who played with him until his untimely death from tuberculosis less than three years later. To give an understanding of American history at this time, Goodman's integration of popular music happened ten years before Jackie Robinson entered Major League Baseball. "[Goodman's] popularity was such that he could remain financially viable without touring the South, where he would have been subject to arrest for violating Jim Crow laws." By the mid- Summer of 1941, Benny had hired the incomparably rhythmic and show-man drummer, legendary "Big Sid" Catlett, the (later) famous John Simmons on bass, and still possessed the incomparable Charlie Christian on electric guitar -plus Cootie Williams was in the middle of his one-year contract... This amounted to virtually one-quarter of the orchestra of black heritage, but of course -following Jimmy Munday and Fletcher Henderson (who also joined the band as pianist for 6 months in July, 1939) it was really an orchestrated white extension of black big band jazz -only, curiously -better.
St. James Infirmary
Benny Goodman Lyrics
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They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So sweet, cool and so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
The gang'll know I died standing pat
Let her go, let her go God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers
Three pretty women to sing a song
Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon
Raise hell as I stroll along
Let her go Let her go
God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide
World over
She'll never find a sweeter
Man as me
The lyrics to Benny Goodman's song St. James Infirmary tell a story of a man who visits a bar and sees his lover lying in a coffin at the nearby St. James Infirmary. The man is devastated, and he sings about his love for her and how he wants to be remembered when he dies. He says that no one will ever be as sweet as he was to his lover, and he asks that when he dies, he is buried in his Stetson hat with $20 on his watch chain. He also asks for six crapshooters to be his pallbearers, three women to sing a song, and a jazz band to play as he is taken to his final resting place. In the end, he repeats that his lover should be let go and blessed wherever she may be, and that she will never find a sweeter man than him.
Line by Line Meaning
It was down by old Joe's barroom, on the corner of the square
This story happened at Joe's place, located at the corner of the square
They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
The regulars were at the bar and were drinking as usual
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
Big Joe McKennedy was standing next to me, and his eyes were red as if he had been drinking
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
He spoke to everyone, and this is what he said
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
I went to the St. James Infirmary and saw my lover's dead body there
She was stretched out on a long white table, So sweet, cool and so fair
She was lying on a white table, and she looked peaceful and beautiful
Let her go, let her go, God bless her, Wherever she may be
Let her go and bless her, no matter where she is now
She may search this whole wide world over, Never find a sweeter man as me
She may never find a man as sweet as me, no matter where she looks in the world
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
When I die, please put me to rest wearing my high top Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain, The gang'll know I died standing pat
Put a gold coin worth twenty dollars on my watch chain, and everyone will know I died happy and content
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers, Three pretty women to sing a song
I want six friends to carry my coffin, and three beautiful women to sing a song in my honor
Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon, Raise hell as I stroll along
Put a jazz band on the wagon that carries my coffin, and make noise as if I were still alive and walking with you
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind