Harry James

During the swing period, Harry James distinguished himself among instrumentalists through a flamboyant trumpet technique that rendered his performances immediately recognizable. Additionally, he ranked among the foremost orchestra leaders throughout the initial years of the 1940s decade, sustaining his ensemble's operations right up until shortly prior to his passing four decades afterward. Born to circus performers, James entered the world as the son of Everette Robert James, who served as bandleader and trumpet player for the Mighty Haag Circus orchestra, and Maybelle Stewart Clark James, an aerialist. Raised amid circus surroundings, he began performing at age four as a contortionist before shifting focus to music, first handling the snare drum around age six and receiving trumpet instruction from his father. By age 12 he assumed direction of the second band for the Christy Brothers Circus, where his family was then employed, and he completed elementary schooling in Beaumont, Texas, the site of the troupe's winter quarters; at 14 he captured a statewide music competition on trumpet.

This achievement prompted him to go professional and join regional ensembles. His initial engagement with a nationally prominent group arrived in 1935 via an offer from Ben Pollack. In May of that year he wed vocalist Louise Tobin, with whom he fathered two children before their divorce in June 1943. His earliest recordings occurred as a Pollack sideman in September 1936. Shortly thereafter Benny Goodman, then fronting one of the nation's leading orchestras, recruited him, and James joined the Goodman roster by the close of 1936. He quickly attracted attention within the Goodman organization, prompting Brunswick Records—later acquired by Columbia Records—to begin issuing sides under his own name starting in December 1937.

Early in 1939 James departed Goodman to form his own orchestra, which debuted in Philadelphia that February. That spring he discovered the still-unknown Frank Sinatra on a radio broadcast and brought him into the fold. The band encountered persistent challenges, however, and when Tommy Dorsey extended an offer to Sinatra late in 1939, James raised no objection. Around the same period Columbia dropped him, leading to a move to the small Varsity Records imprint. After two years of struggles to keep the group intact, James altered course in early 1941 by incorporating strings and adopting a smoother, more melodic approach while re-signing with Columbia Records. Success followed promptly: in April 1941 the self-composed instrumental "Music Makers" first entered the Top Ten, prompting the band to be billed on occasion as Harry James and His Music Makers. A second Top Ten entry, "Lament to Love" with Dick Haymes on vocals, arrived in August, and late that year an instrumental rendition of the 1913 song "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" climbed to the Top Five—the disc that cemented his stardom. Yet its sweet orientation and the frequently labeled "schmaltzy" quality of James' trumpet work also prompted jazz critic Dan Morgenstern, as cited in the 1999 biography Trumpet Blues: The Life of Harry James by Peter J. Levinson, to observe that it was "the record that the jazz critics never forgave Harry for recording."

James placed second only to Glenn Miller among the most successful recording artists of 1942. Seven of his releases reached the Top Ten that year: the Top Five "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" featuring Helen Forrest; the number-one instrumental "Sleepy Lagoon"; the Top Five "One Dozen Roses" with Jimmy Saunders; the Top Five instrumental "Strictly Instrumental"; "He's My Guy"; the Top Five "Mister Five by Five"; and "Manhattan Serenade," the final three again with Forrest. In September, when Miller entered military service and relinquished his Chesterfield Time radio program, he passed it to James, marking a symbolic handover of the country's leading bandleader title. (James himself remained ineligible for service owing to a back injury.) Wartime travel limits and the musicians-union recording ban that began in August 1942 curtailed touring and studio work, yet film opportunities emerged. He debuted onscreen in Syncopation in May 1942, followed by Private Buckaroo in June and Springtime in the Rockies in November. His subsequent hit, "I Had the Craziest Dream" with Helen Forrest, appeared in the latter film and reached number one in February 1943. The movie also introduced him to Betty Grable, whom he married in July 1943; they had two children and divorced in October 1965.

"I Had the Craziest Dream" yielded the top spot in March 1943 to another James–Forrest collaboration, "I've Heard That Song Before." The instrumental "Velvet Moon" followed with comparable success, yet Columbia's pre-ban stockpile of James sides was nearly depleted. The label therefore began reissuing earlier recordings. With Frank Sinatra newly established as a solo star, Columbia re-released "All or Nothing at All"—a 1939 track featuring him as James' vocalist—which reached the Top Five in spring 1943. Next came the year-old "I Heard You Cried Last Night" with Forrest, also a Top Five hit. Once more James ranked as the second-most-successful recording artist of the year, behind only Bing Crosby.

Stationed in New York, he maintained a thrice-weekly radio program while appearing at such prominent venues as the Paramount Theatre and the Astor Hotel Roof. He further appeared in the June 1943 release Best Foot Forward. Although Decca Records settled with the musicians' union in 1943, granting its roster an edge, James finished fourth among 1944's top recording artists without entering a studio: the 1942 instrumental "Cherry" reached the Top Five early in the year; "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)," cut in 1941 with Dick Haymes, hit number one in June; and eight additional chart entries accumulated. He continued the radio show through March and saw two films—Two Girls and a Sailor and Bathing Beauty—open in June. Columbia and RCA Victor resolved their union disputes in November 1944, enabling James to resume recording and yielding seven Top Ten hits in 1945: the number-one "I'm Beginning to See the Light"; "I Don't Care Who Knows It"; "If I Loved You"; "11:60 P.M."; the Top Five "I'll Buy That Dream"; "It's Been a Long, Long Time"; and "Waitin' for the Train to Come In." Buddy DiVito sang on "If I Loved You," while Kitty Kallen handled the remainder, propelling James to third place among 1945's recording artists behind Bing Crosby and Sammy Kaye.

He and his band became regulars on the Danny Kaye Show radio series beginning in January 1945 and hosted its summer replacement from June to September. Two further Top Ten hits arrived early in 1946—the Top Five "I Can't Begin to Tell You," featuring a pseudonymous vocal by Betty Grable, and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" with Buddy DiVito—before commercial momentum waned, though "This Is Always" with DiVito still reached the Top Ten that fall. After multiple film roles, he signed a formal contract with 20th Century Fox, securing larger parts in Do You Love Me?, issued in May, and If I'm Lucky, released in September. He also resumed national touring for the first time since the war's end.

The waning popularity of big bands prompted many ensembles, including James', to disband in December 1946. Yet his All Time Favorites collection topped the album charts in January 1947, signaling continued broad appeal, and within months he reconstituted the orchestra, trimming strings and soon eliminating them while shifting toward a jazz-oriented approach. Only one Top Ten hit followed in 1947: "Heartaches," with Marion Morgan. He also appeared in the May film Carnegie Hall. Further screen work came with A Miracle Can Happen (also known as On Our Merry Way) in February 1948, the same month he joined the radio series Call for Music, which ran until June. Visibility remained limited in 1949, but in February 1950 his trumpet was featured on the Young Man with a Horn soundtrack—though Kirk Douglas fingered the instrument onscreen.

Credited to James with Doris Day, the Young Man with a Horn soundtrack reached number one in May 1950. Columbia repeated the pairing for "Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)," which charted in March 1951 and entered the Top Ten. Comparable success greeted "Castle Rock," pairing James with Frank Sinatra and charting in September. He also hosted his own television program, The Harry James Show, on a Los Angeles station for the first half of 1951. Thereafter he sustained the band primarily as a touring unit with reduced media exposure. He portrayed himself in the 1955 film biography The Benny Goodman Story, the same year he moved to Capitol Records and issued Harry James in Hi-Fi, a collection of re-recordings that reached the Top Ten in November. (The 1999 compilation Trumpet Blues: The Best of Harry James draws from this album and its sequel, More Harry James in Hi-Fi.)

By this stage he deliberately shaped the ensemble to echo Count Basie's sound. He returned to the screen in November 1956 for The Opposite Sex, undertook his first major European tour in October 1957, and in subsequent years alternated domestic and international engagements with extended Las Vegas residencies. Two additional film appearances followed: The Big Beat in June 1958 and The Ladies Man in July 1961. He continued performing regularly into the early 1980s. Diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1983, he persisted until his final appearance nine days before his death at age 67. Trumpeter Art Depew assumed leadership, and the band carried on. Although James' jazz-trumpet prowess never faced serious doubt, many critics distanced themselves after his 1941 commercial breakthrough. Upon regaining a jazz focus after peak popularity, he failed to alter prevailing perceptions, largely because public visibility had diminished. Even so, his swing-era hits endure among the period's most celebrated recordings. Beyond the Columbia sides from his commercial zenith, his discography encompasses numerous airchecks and other titles, with the 1950s recordings also meriting attention.