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.
DAY BY DAY
Woody Herman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And day by day my love seems to grow
There isn't any end to my devotion
It's deeper dear by far than any ocean
I find that day by day you're making all my dreams come true
So come what may I want you to know
I'm yours alone, and I'm in love to stay
The lyrics of Woody Herman's song Day By Day talk about the singer's deepening love for someone day by day. Beginning with the first two lines, the singer is confessing that he is falling more and more in love with his beloved. The subsequent line talks about the growth of love that seems to have no end. The fourth line is where the singer shares the depth of the devotion he feels towards his beloved, comparing it to that of an ocean.
The next few lines talk about how the singer's beloved is helping him realize his dreams day by day. The singer is expressing his gratitude towards his beloved for being there for him, and for making his life better. The last two lines of the song are where the singer declares his love for his beloved and how he wants to spend his life with him/her.
Overall, Woody Herman's song Day By Day is a love song that talks about the deepening of love between two people. It is a beautiful expression of love and devotion that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Day by day I'm falling more in love with you
Every day, my feelings for you become stronger and more intense.
And day by day my love seems to grow
Each day, my love for you increases, and I find myself becoming more devoted to you.
There isn't any end to my devotion
My love for you is boundless and limitless, and it will never come to an end.
It's deeper dear by far than any ocean
My love for you is profound, surpassing even the depth of the largest and deepest ocean.
I find that day by day you're making all my dreams come true
You are the reason behind my happiness, and every day you make my deepest desires a reality.
So come what may I want you to know
No matter what happens in our future, I want you to understand that my love for you will never waiver.
I'm yours alone, and I'm in love to stay
I belong to you, and I am fully committed to our love story.
As we go through the years day by day
As time passes, our love will grow stronger and stronger, cementing itself in our hearts day by day.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sammy Cahn, Alex Stordhal, Paul Weston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind