Artie Shaw

“Portrait of Artie Shaw” by William P. Gottlieb, via TimelessMoon GetArchive

American Clarinetist • Bandleader • Composer • Arranger • May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004 • Jazz • Swing

Fast Facts

• Artie Shaw, birth name Arthur Jacob Arshawsky, was born in New York City, New York, and died at the age of 94 in Newbury Park, California.
• Started on the saxophone but quickly switched to clarinet.
• Known for leading big bands, which were popular during the swing era.
• Became prominent as a swing bandleader in the 1930s and one of the best clarinetists.
• One of his most famous performances is “Begin the Beguine,” composed by Cole Porter.
• His first breakthrough as a bandleader was performing at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre.
• Enlisted in World War II and became the leader of the United States Navy orchestra.
• The first white band director to hire a black vocalist, Billie Holiday, to sing in his band.
• Used different instrumentations in his big bands that were considered nontraditional, for example, clarinet, string quartet, and rhythm section in the piece “Interlude in B-flat.”
• Married a total of 8 times and had two sons.