Bunny Berigan

Happy Birthday, Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan...November 2, 1908-June 2, 1942...Bunny Berigan's talent and fame rose like a meteor and burned out just as quickly but the music he left continues to inspire. Raised in Wisconsin, Berigan was a natural musician, playing both violin and trumpet and joining his Grandfather's youth band at the age of 12.  By 14 he was playing in local bands and in 1928 he auditioned for Hal Kemp's orchestra. He was turned away for having too thin a tone. Two years later, in 1930, he auditioned again and Kemp took him on a European tour and gave Berigan his first recorded solos.

When he returned to the U.S. in the fall of 1930, Berigan became a much sought after studio musician. In 1931 he joined the staff of the illustrious CBS radio network musicians which included players like Artie Shaw. When he wasn't working for CBS he was freelancing on sessions at various recording studios around New York City and playing in pit orchestras on Broadway. His output was prodigious and his talent and star kept rising. From late 1932 to 1934 he joined Paul Whiteman's orchestra, leaving in 1934 for a short stint with Abe Lyman.

His reputation as a strong soloist kept him in demand, playing with the Boswell Sisters, Glenn Miller and the Dorsey Brothers among many. It seemed whatever he lent his clear, beautiful tone and wide range to turned to gold. From 1935-1939 he stood with Louis Armstrong and Roy Eldridge as one of the top trumpeters in jazz. When asked about other players in 1941, Louis Armstrong replied, "About the trumpet players I admire...first I would name my boy Bunny Berigan. Now there's a boy I've always admired for his tone, soul, technique, His sense of phrasing and all. To me, Bunny can't do no wrong in music."

In 1935 Berigan joined Benny Goodman's band and became part of the tour out West and the broadcast from the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles that some say launched the Swing Era. He recorded major solos with Goodman on classics like "King Porter Stomp", "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Blue Skies". After the tour, Berigan left Goodman and went back to freelancing as a recording and radio musician and recorded under his own name for the first time. He was a popular player for singers of the era and backed Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey and Bing Crosby among others. He also joined Tommy Dorsey's band from 1936-1937 and gave the Dorsey recordings of "Marie" and "Song of India" their distinct sound.

It took three tries, but Berigan was able to form his own band in 1937. He played trumpet on nearly every number and conducted at the same time. He chose "I Can't Get Started" by Ira Gershwin and Vernon Duke as his theme song and made the tune a smash hit that is still included in jazz compilations and in movie scores today. But Berigan was an alcoholic and the stresses of leading a band only made things worse. Despite his drinking, other musicians respected him as a leader and he was able to attract top talent for his band but that wasn't enough. By 1939 he declared bankruptcy and briefly joined Tommy Dorsey's as a sideman in 1940 but he wasn't happy and the drinking increased. He tried forming his own band again in 1941 but his health had already made a steep decline. He died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 33.