Artie+Shaw

Clarinetist and Bandleader
 * Artie Shaw[[image:jazzbios/shaw-artie.jpg width="362" height="270" align="right"]] **

Born May 23, 1910 in New Haven CT, Arthur Jacob Arshawsky was a very introverted kid. He started learning saxophone at age 13, but eventually switched to Clarinet. At the young age of 16, he started touring with a band and left his home. Throughout the early 1930's, he became a session musician, and from 1925 to 1936, he worked with many different bands and his reputation skyrocketed. In 1935, he gained a lot of attention with his big band who performed songs like "Begin the Beguine", "Stardust", "Moonglow", and "Back Bay Shuffle". He also signed Billie Holiday to his band as the vocalist, but she left after recieving hostility from the south over her skin color. His band became HUGELY successful, with fans dubbing him as "King of the Clarinet" and the"King of Swing". During WWII, he was enlisted in the navy, but started a small band to play for the rest of the navymen. After he was medically discharged, he started another small band, like his rival Benny Goodman. However after that, he retired from Music all together, throwing away a million dollar enterprise. He played once more in 1983, but that was a one time thing. Everywhere I've read, it says nothing about any legacy he's left, just that he was a really good clarinet player. Womp. In conclusion, he was pretty good, but he left it all because he was a perfectionist and it "would've killed him". He died in 2004. Read this: []