BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER FIRST-CLASS MAIL Box 52252 U.S
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IN THIS ISSUE: ♦ An in-person interview with ♦ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DICKHAYMES about Charlie Barnet, Fran Warren, Harry James, Russ ♦ A mini-bio of Columbo, Ralph Sharon, NAT "KING” COLE Jimmy Joy and more ♦ Reviews of BOOKS AND RECORDS to consider BIG ♦ A song writers BAND TRIVIA QUIZ ♦ Sidelights from the antics of JUMP BENNY GOODMAN NEWSLETTER BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER FIRST-CLASS MAIL Box 52252 U.S. POSTAGE PAID Atlanta, GA 30355 Atlanta, GA Permit No. 2022 MUG Jirm* N EWSLETTER VOLUME LXI_________________________________ BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MARCH-APRIL 1999 DICK HAYMES INTERVIEW The Background Please forgive this personal recollection, inserted here because it may have significance in evaluating the personality of our interview subject. It was 1949, backstage at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Penn sylvania when I met DickHaymes. He was in the star’s dressing room, located conveniently just beyond the wings at stage left. Two things remain in my memory these fifty years later, after the filtering of time. One is the kindness displayed by Dick Haymes to a 19 year old kid who undoubtedly asked awkward questions. He was gentlemanly in a formal way, reflective of his upbringing in private schools. The other memory is the only answer recalled now as I asked Dick Haymes about his early days with Harry James. The tape of that interview has long since been lost, but his comment about his performances on those James recordings has stayed with me all these years. He said, “I sounded very young, I assure you.” The post Big Band Dick Haymes Now, a half century later, we’re fortunate to have sure as a vocalist, working for Harry James. access to this excellent Dick Haymes interview con ducted by Fred Hall, the Big Band broadcaster and The Interview writer who has been a significant force in keeping the music and the stories behind the music in front of the BBJ: You were selling your songs to Harry James? public. We’re indebted to him for his permission to use portions of the interview, excerpted from his book DH: Yeah, and he didn’t particularly like the songs. DIALOGUES IN SWING. (Please see review in this He had no use for them at the time, but he hired issue.) me because Frank had just gone with Tommy Dorsey. The chronology of that was that Jack Leonard had just DickHaymes was bom in Argentina, attended the finest been drafted and Frank Sinatra left Harry and Harry was schools, and as a result of his international upbringing, sans male vocalist. So I just happened to fall into a slot. was multi-lingual. He was married several times, He said, well, I don’t like your songs, but how about including a much heralded marriage to Rita Hayworth. singing with the band and I said, sure. And I had some singing experience prior to that inasmuch as even as a kid The Scene I was a lifeguard in the daytime at the Long Beach Country Club in Westport, Connecticut and on the The interview took place in March of 1978 at Haymes’ weekends I used to sing with a band at night. home in Oxnard, California. Fred Hall began with a logical question concerning Dick Haymes first expo- BBJ: Local band? VO LU M E LXI BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MARCH-APRIL 1999 DH: Well, you know what country clubs are.... you ban on recording and that was kind of unlucky because know, local pick up men, probably. And so I would have loved to have recorded with Tommy. He singing came very, very naturally to me. The rest of the was so tasty, he really was, he was very special. know-how came from just watching people like Tom, particularly Tom. BBJ: Let’s go back to Harry James because in talking to Helen Forrest she still feels that Harry was BBJ: Tommy Dorsey? the happiest time for her as opposed to Goodman and Shaw. DH: Oh, yes. Harry was great experience because he had a new band and it was a new experience DH: I don’t think she’s in love with Goodman. She for him as well, so we were all just sort of growing really is a bitter lady about Goodman. I don’t together and stumbling and we had our growing pains. know why. We were making all our mistakes all together and we played some of the damnest places you’ve ever. .. I BBJ: How about you? mean you wouldn’t dream of playing them today with sound systems that were absolutely rumors, but you just DH: I have no qualms about Benny. I have my own took it in stride and got back on the bus and travelled. theory about Benny. I don’t think anything But the actual Tiffany’s of the orchestra world in those existed such as the “ray.” I think Benny is one of those days was the Tommy Dorsey orchestra because he gave people. .. I think Benny is guileless, I think that best you a showcase. He was a star maker and he’s another describes him. I think he’s on cloud nine all the time and one for whom I have this tremendous respect because he he gets the baby stares. And if he happens to be staring said, “Okay, here’s your spot.... do you like this song?” at you and you were self-conscious about it, he wasn’t And he used to carry arrangers with him. .. Axel giving you the “ray,” he was looking at nothing, really, Stordahl, Paul Weston and Sy Oliver, I mean we had the he was thinking of something and God knows he’s a cream of everything.... this big, huge, wonderful or master at his instrument. And he’s a peculiar guy, you chestra. And so my main lessons in performing as well know. I’ll give you an example. I finally got bugged at as singing and delivery and the whole thing and an Benny because every time I sang SERENADE IN BLUE improvement on breathing, just watching Tom, were he’d come up and stand next to me at the microphone and with the short two years I was with Tommy Dorsey. play the melody with me. And I finally stopped one night and I said, “Look, Benny, you want to play it, be my BBJ: Was Tommy Dorsey difficult to work with? guest,” and walked away from the microphone and he ran after me like a pussycat and said, “What’s the matter, DH: Tommy Dorsey wasn’t difficult. Tommy pops, what’s the matter?” And I said, “Why don’t you Dorsey was the last of the band leaders. He was shut up and let me just sing my song and stop helping me a disciplinarian, he was strict with his people, but if you with your goddamn horn, you know.” And he said, understood Tommy, I mean Tommy by far had the most “Man, I didn’t know I was bugging you.” You know, avant garde band of its day. He was always ahead of his this is Benny. He didn’t know he was being aggravating. time, if he got drunk he was difficult, but then who the hell isn’t difficult if you get drunk, you know, but as a BBJ: Did you make just one record, IDAHO, with rule he was very fair and a very good business man and him? as I said, a star maker. I got along beautifully with him. I had my beefs with him, but you know, he.... DH: No, I made quite a few songs with Benny, TAKE ME... KALAMAZOO. Yeah, Benny BBJ: Did you make any records with T ommy Dorsey, was. .. boring. Everything was strictly business with aside from the DAYBREAK aircheck that’s Benny, there were no laughs and he never, never, never available? ceased to try out reeds. And he usually wound up having a dressing room next to mine. You know, between shows DH: No, I didn’t because that was during the union and between sets and everything he was always trying out reeds. One day I just said, “Benny, aren’t you ever V O LU M E LXI BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MARCH-APRIL 1999 gonna’ find a reed that satisfies you?” And again, he was.... ”Hey, pops, I don’t mean to...” You know. So there you are. BBJ: Chronologically it was James, Goodman and then Dorsey. Tell us about how the James/ Haymes I’LL GET BY came about. DH: Most of the stuff.... I’LL GET BY... emerged on the bus with Harry and I sitting together, you know, just sort of putting things together off the tops of our heads. And he’d get these ideas or I’d get an idea and we’d have it written up and that’s how those things emerged. I’LL GET BY, Ithink, probably turned out to be one of those classic records because it was an easy swing feel, as opposed to it always having been sung as a dramatic ballad, Rubato style by various saloon singers. BBJ: And OLD MAN RIVER was done in triple tempo from what you usually expect. The youthful Dick Haymes DH: Yeah, that turned out fine. We’ve had a lot of DH: Lateron. Because when I first joined Harry the imitators since then.... a lot of people have vocal chorus was always in the middle of the done it that way by now, I guess. chart. But later on he started showcasing.