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.
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Woody Herman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
It doesn't show signs of stopping
And I've bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
When we finally kiss goodnight
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm
The fire is slowly dying
And, my dear, we're still goodbying
But as long as you love me so
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
The lyrics to Woody Herman's song "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" are an ode to the cozy feeling of being inside during a winter snowstorm. The opening lines describe the frigid weather outside as "frightful," but the warmth of the fire inside is described as "delightful." The singer notes that since they have "no place to go," there is no reason to worry about the storm and instead suggests that they should simply "let it snow!"
As the song continues, the singer notes that the storm doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon, but they have brought supplies like popcorn in anticipation of spending the evening indoors. The lights are dimmed, creating a cozy, intimate atmosphere. The singer then laments the idea of having to go out into the storm, but notes that if their partner holds them tight, they will feel warm and safe on the way home.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the weather outside is frightful
The bad climate outside is terrible.
But the fire is so delightful
But the fireplace is fantastic.
And since we've no place to go
Because we have no other plans.
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Therefore, it would be nice to have some snowfall.
It doesn't show signs of stopping
There are no indications that it will ever stop snowing.
And I've bought some corn for popping
I have prepared some corn to be made into popcorn.
The lights are turned way down low
The luminance is now decreased significantly.
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
It would still be nice if it snowed more.
When we finally kiss goodnight
When we express our affection at night,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
I will not be pleased when I have to go out in the snow.
But if you'll really hold me tight
However, if you embrace me tightly,
All the way home I'll be warm
I will feel comfortable all the way home.
The fire is slowly dying
The fireplace is slowly losing heat.
And, my dear, we're still goodbying
Dear one, we are still bidding farewell.
But as long as you love me so
However, as long as you love me as you do,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
It would still be enjoyable to have more snow.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oldbeatpete
nice & jazzy...
@AmericanShia786
I like this version and the Vaughn Monroe version best. Sonny Berman has the Trumpet Solo and Bill Harris the Trombone Solo. Too bad no Flip Philips Temp Sax Solo.