It was widely believed, for many years, that Beiderbecke's real name was Leon Bismark Beiderbecke. It is now known that this — like so many other myths about Beiderbecke — is untrue. His real name was Leon Bix Beiderbecke. Bismark was a family name, reflecting the family's German origins, but it was not given to Beiderbecke. "Bix" was a family nickname of his father and older brother, given him as a proper name.
Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa to a middle-class family. As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to the bands play on the riverboats that would come up from the south.
Partially due to frequent absences due to illness, Beiderbecke's grades suffered. His parents felt that sending him to the exclusive Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago, would provide the attention and discipline needed to improve his schooling.
Beiderbecke's schooling there soon suffered when the only subjects he showed avid interest in were music and sports. Bix soon began going into Chicago as often as possible to catch the hot jazz bands of the day at clubs and speakeasies around Chicago, and too often didn't return in time or was found out the next day.
Beiderbecke was soon asked to leave the Academy due to his academic failings and extra-curricular activities in Chicago, and began his musical career in earnest.
Beiderbecke first recorded with his band "The Wolverine Orchestra" (usually called just The Wolverines, named for "Wolverine Blues" by Jelly Roll Morton because they played it so often) in 1924, then became a sought-after musician in Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York. He made innovative and influential recordings with Frankie Trumbauer ("Tram") and the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. When the Goldkette Orchestra disbanded after their last recording ("In My Merry Oldsmobile"), in May 1927, Bix and Trumbauer, a 'C' Melody and alto saxophone player, briefly joined Adrian Rollini's band at the Club New Yorker, New York, before moving on to the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, the most popular and highest paid band of the day.
Beiderbecke suffered health problems from an early age, though the relentless schedule of the road and heavy drinking leading to alcoholism began to contribute to and exacerbate a decline in his health. Bix suffered from severe pain in his legs and other ill effects of prohibition era alcohol and with declining work around the New York City area, he took a turn for the worse.
Though his death certificate described the cause of death as pneumonia, and he was in seriously ill health, the circumstances immediately surrounding his death are still unclear. He died at the age of 28, in his apartment at 43-30 46th Street, Sunnyside, Queens, within the confines of the City of New York on August 6, 1931.
Sunday
Bix Beiderbecke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thinking over to sunday
That one day that I am with you
It seems that high time monday and tuesday
oh my how I long for you
And then on thursday
and friday make me feel like im going to die
and then sunday thatone day that I amwith you
The lyrics to the Bix Beiderbecke song "Sunday" touch upon themes of loneliness, love, and the yearning for companionship. The singer in the song reflects on the highs and lows of their week leading up to Sunday, the day they are with their loved one. The lyrics convey the feeling of Monday being the start of a long and lonely week, with the singer already anticipating the upcoming Sunday spent with the person they love. The mention of Tuesday may suggest that time feels slow and uneventful leading up to the weekend. The text "it seems that high time Monday and Tuesday” could be interpreted to mean that time is dragging on as they wait to be reunited with their love.
The lyrics also portray the singer as feeling a sense of despair leading up to Thursday and Friday, with thoughts of death crossing their mind. These days could represent the low points of the week, where the singer is struggling to find meaning or purpose without their loved one by their side. However, after the week has passed, Saturdays allow the singer a breath of relief before finally arriving at Sunday, the day they are reunited with their love. The final lines of "Sunday" emphasize the importance of this day for the singer, as it is the one day where they are truly happy and at peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew every monday
I am fully aware of every Monday that comes.
Thinking over to sunday
I spend my thoughts reflecting back to Sunday.
That one day that I am with you
The day I am with you is so special to me.
It seems that high time monday and tuesday
Monday and Tuesday seem to take forever to pass.
oh my how I long for you
I yearn for you so greatly.
And then on thursday
Thursday arrives.
and friday make me feel like im going to die
Friday makes me feel like I am going to die.
but after hayday is like sunday
But after Wednesday, it feels like Sunday again.
and then sunday thatone day that I amwith you
And then Sunday arrives, the one day I spend with you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHESTER CONN, BENNIE KRUEGER, NED MILLER, JULE STYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BixLives32
A great side. —And, Eddie Lang aint too shabby.
Usually the bass part was played by the baritone sax because of the constraints of the acoustic recording era. Even after the electric process was introduced (1925), —for the first few years, most white bands continued using the baritone sax instead of a proper bass fiddle. I think it was also a case of the white public expecting the baritone sax. Alas, the truly hip bands began using the bass fiddle as soon as the electric process became the standard. Musicians like Lang and Carl Kress would never have made it on guitar without the electric recording process. Tenor banjo is fine, but...
Almost all of Ellington's earliest recordings are with the powerful Wellman Braud on the bass fiddle.
This Goldkette side shows just how hip these young cats were.
Bix and Tram!
Trumbauer had a special clause added to any contract he signed. —I.e., Trumbauer would play only if Bix was also hired and playing. Hence; If you got Tram, you got Bix. —A matched set.
Bix drank, and he drank the illegal bathtub gin of the day (worse than sterno). Tram rarely drank, and became a steady family man. Bix drank and played Jazz.
Alas, many orchestra leaders were reluctant to hire Bix. Bix rarely bathed and was often late. He also did not read well. Trumbauer simply wanted to make sure that the finest corenet player and Jazz composer in the world had regular work. Plus, they were the closest of friends.
Can you imagine this record without Bix? Bix had a way of forcing an orchestra to swing and play well beyond themselves. If you blow, you may understand this. Sometimes a superior player has an infectious way of pumping up a band. Paul Whiteman understood this, but I doubt if many other leaders were as hip.
@giovannirivoira5496
What a gem!a musical picture of a period with a fabulous orchestra.Bill Rank,Eddie Lang,Steve Brown,Box,Bill Murray...Giants Always in my heart.thank you!
@Bigband78
I was looking for Speigle on that band photo and there he was on the lower right as Newell Wilcox. He was still p[aying tombone in his 90s and had a sharp mind.So happy I had a photo taken with him and he signed it the next year. Our president should have honored him. Great job on this video by Atticus Jazz.
@lesterwyoung
Beautiful, clear bass playing from Steve Brown.
@thatrecord5313
That's a bass?! I thought it was a tuba...
@steveheywood9428
Wonderful recording made smack bang in the middle of the flapper era...absolute magic.
@KDoyle4
I've never heard this record sound so good. This is the cat's pajamas!
@richardlaine9994
I love the infectious gaiety of this Goldkette performance by the Goldkette Orchestra---it is one of the performances that comes to mind every time I think of recordings that best represent the spirit of the Roaring (19)20s. Two others I would place on that list ( among so many others! ) are the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra's version of "Copenhagen" ( 1924 ) and the Ted Weems Orchestra's "Siberia" ( 1925 ). Without naming specific titles, I would include any performances by the Wolverines with Bix Beiderbecke, the many recordings by the New York-based California Ramblers, and many excellent performances by Ben Pollack and His Orchestra, especially those tracks with the young Benny Goodman. It's hard to make specific choices, but given that I made this random choice quite spontaneously, I think i didn't do so badly.
Happy listening, and best wishes to all for a satisfying 2021!!!
@Hernes6
Wonderful Bill Challis arr., masterly played, superb recording, and excellent transfer.
@lesterwyoung
Steve Brown's magnificent, resonant bass!
@thatrecord5313
That's a bass? I thought it was I tuba...