Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) … Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swing's Senior Statesman.

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.

Your Mother
Benny Goodman Lyrics

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You don't have to have a hanker
To be a broker or a banker
No siree, just simply be
My mother's son-in-law.
Needn't even think of tryin'
To be a mighty social lion
Sipping tea, if you'll be
My mother's son-in-law,

Ain't got the least desire
To set the world on fire
Just wish you'd make it proper
To call my old man papa
You don't have to sing like Bledsoe
You can tell the world I said so
Can't you see you've got to be
My mother's son-in-law.

You don't have to sing like Jessel
You can tell the world I said so

Can't you see, you've got to be
My mother's son-in-law.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Benny Goodman's "Your Mother's Son-In-Law" are a playful invitation to a potential suitor for his daughter. The song's narrator, presumably Goodman himself, reassures the suitor that he doesn't need to have particular qualifications or social standing to win his favor. All he needs to be is the singer's "mother's son-in-law." This simple title constitutes the only requirement for the suitor to be accepted into the family.

The song suggests that the singer's family isn't very concerned with money or social status, but rather values the simple quality of being a loving husband and good son-in-law. The lines "Ain't got the least desire / To set the world on fire" underscore this point, suggesting that the suitor doesn't need to be a high-achieving social climber to make the singer happy. Instead, he just needs to be kind to his mother-in-law and make it proper for him to call the singer's father "papa." The song's playful tone and upbeat tempo suggest that the suitor needn't take these lyrics too seriously but can enjoy the lighthearted invitation.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't have to have a hanker
You don't need to have a longing

To be a broker or a banker
To become a broker or a banker

No siree, just simply be
No, sir, just be

My mother's son-in-law.
My mother's son-in-law is all I need.

Needn't even think of tryin'
You don't have to even consider trying

To be a mighty social lion
To become a powerful socialite

Sipping tea, if you'll be
Drinking tea, if you'll only be

My mother's son-in-law,
That's all you need to be

Ain't got the least desire
I don't even have the slightest yearning

To set the world on fire
To cause a great sensation

Just wish you'd make it proper
I just want you to show the proper respect