Harry James, bravura trumpeter and swing bandleader, died on 5th July 1983

Harry James was born in Georgia on March 15th 196, the son of the bandleader in a travelling circus, so it was no surprise that the young Harry learnt the trumpet from the age of 10, his father imposing a strict practice regime. He developed a highly distinctive bravura style, which marked him out as one of the great exponents of the instrument in jazz. When the family moved to Texas in 1931, Harry played with local dance bands, until joining Ben Pollack's outfit in 1935. In 1937 he became part of the renowned 'Biting Brass' trio of trumpeters alongside Ziggy Elman in Benny Goodman's band, and then in 1939 formed his own Orchestra, taking on the young Frank Sinatra as vocalist, and making some landmark recordings with him. Sinatra moved on to Tommy Dorsey, but James continued to expand his popularity with a string of hits, radio shows, and the first of many movie appearances. James bucked the trend of big bands disbanding in the hard times of the late '40s and continued to tour various versions of his orchestra well into the 70s. He died of cancer in 1983. Acrobat has a collection of his recordings on catalogue - for details click here.