Jimmy Dorsey
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Born

  • February 29, 1904
  • Shenandoah, PA

Died

  • June 12, 1957
  • New York, NY

Theme Song

  • Contrasts

Jimmy Dorsey

Together and separate, the Dorsey Brothers were responsible for some of the most memorable music of the swing era. Backed by many of the finest musicians and singers of the day they consistently topped the charts with some of the best rhythms ever recorded. They always strove to be the best in their field, and this showed in their strong musical output. Few bandleaders could equal their accomplishments.

Born in eastern Pennsylvania in 1904, Jimmy was the oldest of the two siblings. During the 1920s he and brother Tommy led Dorseys' Novelty Six and were members of the Scranton Sirens before moving to New York. There Jimmy played in several orchestras, including those of Paul Whiteman, Jean Goldkette, and Vincent Lopez. In the early 1930s they kept busy as studio musicians and occasionally co-led an orchestra, backing such singers as the Boswell Sisters, Bing Crosby and Mildred Bailey. In 1934 they officially formed the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Glenn Miller was an early member of the outfit. Kay Weber was the group's only female vocalist. Bob Crosby was the first male vocalist. Bob Eberly replaced Crosby as male vocalist when Crosby left to lead Gil Rodin's new outfit.

Though the two brothers shared leadership Tommy fronted the band and did most of the work. Jimmy was content to sit with the orchestra and was perfectly happy letting Tommy take charge. Tommy, though, was well-known for his temper. He had tremendous drive and often expected too much from those who worked for him. He often resented Jimmy, who was easy-going and well-liked by the band members. Jimmy was everybody's pal, while Tommy often kept distant.

Tensions boiled, and in June of 1935 they came to a head. One night, on the bandstand, Tommy counted off the tempo for their next number, and Jimmy interrupted him. "Isn't that little too fast, Mac?'' asked the elder brother. Tommy didn't say a word but grabbed his trombone and walked off stage, never to return. Everyone asked him to come back but he refused. Intent on starting his own band and showing up his brother, he soon took over the Joe Haymes Orchestra.

Jimmy carried on with their former group, and though it never reached the heights that Tommy's band achieved it proved highly successful. In 1935 the group was hired for Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hour and settled in Los Angeles, where it remained for eighteen months, returning to New York in 1937. The orchestra continued strong throughout the latter part of the 1930s and into the 1940s, peaking musically towards the end of the war, though by then much of its personality had been lost. Best-remembered are perhaps the singers, especially Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell, though at times the line-up included such famous voices as Kay Weber, Ella Mae Morse, Kitty Kallen, June Richmond and Martha Tilton. Jimmy's most famous instrumentalist was perhaps the gifted trombonist Bobby Byrne.

In 1947 Jimmy and Tommy began to reconcile while filming their quasi-biographical movie, The Fabulous Dorseys. Not long after completion of the film Jimmy called it quits, having struggled to make ends meet for the past few years. He returned to the music business in 1953, rejoining Tommy to form a new Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, which was technically under Tommy's name and leadership. With the help of Jackie Gleason they landed their own popular television program on CBS in 1954, one episode of which featured a then unknown Elvis Presley.

The end came unexpectedly. Tommy died in 1956, shortly after his fifty-first birthday, choking to death in his sleep. Jimmy never recovered from his brother's death and did not outlive him very long. He passed away seven months later, after losing a bout with cancer.