Herman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a child he worked as a singer in vaudeville, then became a professional saxophone player at age 15. When Isham Jones's band, of which Herman had been a member, broke up in 1936, he formed his own band, the Woody Herman Orchestra, with some of his band mates. This band became known for its orchestrations of the blues and was sometimes billed as "The Band That Plays The Blues".
On April 12, 1939 Woody Herman recorded his greatest commercial and mega popular hit record "Woodchoppers' Ball", featuring Woody on clarinet, Neal Ried on trombone, Saxie Mansfield on Sax, Steady Nelson on trumpet and Hy White on guitar. Other big early hits were "Blue Flame," "Dupree Blues", "Blues Upstairs and Downstairs" and "Blues in the Night" with Joe Bishop on flugelhorn, Tommy Linehans on piano, Cappy Lewis on trumpet, and the strong rhythm team of Walt Yoder and Frankie Carlson.
This popular swing band took off and was listed number three in the country in a popularity poll by Down Beat Magazine in 1940. This band recorded for the Decca label. The band was first pinned "Herman's Herd" in a Martin band instrument advertisement in the same magazine on April 1, 1941.
This band's music was heavily influenced by Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Its lively, swinging arrangements, combining bop themes with swing rhythm parts, were greatly admired; Igor Stravinsky wrote "Ebony Concerto" for this band. Other pieces for which the band was known include "Caldonia" and "Northwest Passage." During this time, Woody Herman recorded for the Columbia label. Featured musicians were trumpeter Sonny Berman,trumpeter/arranger Neil Hefti, trumpeter/vocalist Steady Nelson, tenor saxist Flip Phillips, trombonist Bill Harris, vibraphonist Red Norvo, pianist/arranger Ralph Burns, drummers Davey Tough and Don Lamond and bassist Chubby Jackson, who was the driving force/talent scout behind the bands progressive development.
Herman was forced to disband the orchestra in 1946 at the height of its success, his only financially successful band, to spend more time with his wife and family. During this time, he and his family had just moved into the former Hollywood home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Another reason Herman may have disbanded was his wife Charlotte's growing problems with alcoholism and pill addiction. In 1947 Herman organized the Second Herd and in 1948 moved to the Capitol label. This band featured a cooler sound, provided by such musicians as Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Serge Chaloff, Al Cohn, Gene Ammons, Lou Levy, Oscar Pettiford, Terry Gibbs, Shelly Manne, and Herbie Steward. Among this band's hits were "Early Autumn," "The Goof and I," and "Four Brothers". This band was also known as the Four Brothers band.
Herman's many later bands included the Third Herd and the New Thundering Herd. He was known for hiring the best young musicians and using their arrangements. His band's book consequently came to be heavily influenced by rock and roll.
By the 1970s, Herman had returned to straight forward jazz, dropping some of the newer, even rock-oriented approaches. A highlight of the nineteen seventies was the appearance of the Woody Herman orchestra with Frank Sinatra at Madison Square Garden for his "Main Event" television special and "Main Event" recording for Reprise records.
He continued to perform into the 1980s, chiefly to pay back taxes caused by an incompetent manager in the 1960s. When his health began to fail, he delegated most of his duties to leader of the reed section, Frank Tiberi, before his death in 1987. Tiberi leads the band in performances to this day.
After the death of Herman, Charles Mingus, and other jazz greats, ASCAP created a retirement fund in 1991 to which artists were given the opportunity to fund their latter years when they no longer were recording artists.
Caldonia
Woody Herman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She long lean and lanky and ain't had nothin' to eat!
But she's my baby and I love her just the same
Crazy about that woman 'cause Caldonia is her name
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
What makes your big head so hard? Huh!
I love you, love you just the same
You know
My momma told me to leave Caldi]onia alone;
That's what she told me, no kiddin'!
That's what she said!
She says
"Son, keep away from that woman, she ain't no good, don't bother with her!"
But momma didn't know what Caldonia was puttin' down!
So I'm goin' down to Caldonia's house, and ask her just one more time!
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
What makes your big head so hard?
Now!
The Woody Herman song "Caldonia" is a classic Jump Blues track, written by Louis Jordan and released in 1945. It features a bluesy horn section, supported by a walking bassline and a catchy call-and-response vocal.
The lyrics are about the singer's love for a woman named Caldonia, who has physical traits that society would deem unattractive, such as her big feet and her lean and lanky figure. However, the singer loves her just the same, proclaiming his adoration for her loudly in the chorus. The lyrics also touch upon Caldonia's hard-headedness, asking her what makes her so tough, showcasing that her strength inspires love.
The song is an excellent example of the Jump Blues genre, which was popular during the late 1940s and early 50s. This genre paired the traditional blues style with driving swing-style rhythms, creating a danceable, upbeat sound that was unique to the era.
Line by Line Meaning
Walkin' with my baby, she's got great big feet
I am walking with my beloved who has extremely large feet.
She long lean and lanky and ain't had nothin' to eat!
She is tall and lean, and it seems like she hasn't had anything to eat.
But she's my baby and I love her just the same
However, I love her despite her physical appearance and hunger.
Crazy about that woman 'cause Caldonia is her name
I am enamored with her. Her name is Caldonia.
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
What makes your big head so hard? Huh!
Why are you so difficult to please?
I love you, love you just the same
Nonetheless, I still love you.
I'll always love you baby 'cause Caldonia is your name
I will continue to love you, Caldonia.
You know
You know.
My momma told me to leave Caldonia alone;
My mother advised me to stop seeing Caldonia.
That's what she told me, no kiddin'!
I am not joking when I say what she told me.
That's what she said!
That is what she said.
She says
She advised me.
"Son, keep away from that woman, she ain't no good, don't bother with her!"
My mother warned me about Caldonia saying she was not a good person, and to avoid her.
But momma didn't know what Caldonia was puttin' down!
However, she did not know what Caldonia was capable of.
So I'm goin' down to Caldonia's house, and ask her just one more time!
Therefore, I am heading to Caldonia's home to talk to her once more.
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
Caldonia!
What makes your big head so hard?
Why are you so difficult to please?
Now!
Now!
Writer(s): J. COTTON
Contributed by Grace T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@spyderlogan4992
Holy Smokes...WOW. 3 sax solos, 1 mute trumpet, 2 'bone solos, Woody, BASS, and the drum fill...The bass player is absolutely killing it at this pace...just an incredible performance by the entire orchestra...It's a hair raising, wild, tight, insane arrangement, HARD swinging rendition of a classic.
@Callipygous1975
And it was all on free every Sunday night, Today we got Prancing with the D-listers and other reality shows.😢
@kevingoins9858
And a lead vocal from Woody!!
@rmo52
Chuck Andrus on bass. You can hear one of the guys yelling “Charlie the Arm” during his solo, his nickname.
@19598835
Woody... Jake Hanna & Co... true GREATNESS on that stage!!!
@michellebowers8652
Woody Herman rocks the house!!!
@maximpopov8651
Jazz masterpiece 💙💙💙
@rll816
The trombone player with the glasses was my cousin, Bob Rudolph!
@michaelhodsdon
Caught this last night on Sullivan and had to come look it up to watch it again. Amazing!
@michellebowers8652
I love watching these great performances on the Sullivan show! It’s on every night at 6:00 pm in our area.