Background
Harry James was born in Albany, United States on March 15, 1916. His father was a circus director and trumpet player, while his mother was a trapeze artist who continued performing until one month before Harry James was born.
Harry James was born in Albany, United States on March 15, 1916. His father was a circus director and trumpet player, while his mother was a trapeze artist who continued performing until one month before Harry James was born.
Harry learned to play the drums at the age of four. When he was eight, he began to learn to play the trumpet; at the age of nine he was playing in his father’s band; at ten he was playing solos, and two years later he was leading his own circus band.
James traveled with the circus as a contortionist for several years, and then settled with his family in Texas. He had played with various local bands and been turned down for a place with Lawrence Welk when he caught the attention of Ben Poliak, formerly of Benny Goodman’s band. After playing with Pollack’s orchestra for two years, he was invited to join Goodman’s group, where, with Ziggy Elman and Chris Griffen, he played in the “powerhouse trio,” one of the most famous big band trumpet sections in jazz history. Two years later, in 1939, he formed his own band. He invited an unknown young vocalist named Frank Sinatra to join, but the soon-to-be-famous singer shortly left James for more lucrative positions.
As a musician James was most popular not only for his skill as a jazz trumpeter, but also for emotional renditions of romantic ballads such as “You Made Me Love You,” which left the critics luke-warm, but drove his listeners wild with excitement. Inspired by his success with this first ballad, James introduced others and became an overnight sensation. Before long he was appearing on radio programs and making records that sold millions.
Although the big-band era came to an end in the late 1940s, James was one of the last band leaders to keep a band. He settled in the later part of his life in Nevada, where he also became interested in racing and baseball. He last performed on the trumpet just a few weeks before his death.
His popularity increased even further when he married famous actress and pin-up girl, Betty Grable. During their marriage, he himself made appearances in films such as Do You Love Me and Springtime in the Rockies.