Ben Pollack
| Ben Pollack | |
|---|---|
Pollack and His Californians, Chicago, 1926: (L-R) Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Gil Rodin, Harry Green, Ben Pollack, Fud Livingston, Al Harris, Harry Goodman, Vic Breidis, Lou Kastler
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| Background information | |
| Born |
June 22, 1903 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 1971 (aged 67) Palm Springs, California |
| Genres | Jazz, dixieland, swing, big band |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1923–1971 |
| Labels | Banner, Cameo, Domino, Lincoln, Perfect, Romeo, Bluebird, Brunswick, Vocalion |
| Associated acts | Harry Bastin Band, New Orleans Rhythm Kings |
Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, and Harry James. This ability earned him the nickname the "Father of Swing".
Ben Pollack was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1903. He played drums in school and formed groups on the side, performing professionally in his teens. He joined the Harry Bastin Band and then the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in the 1920s. In 1924 he played for several bands, including some on the west coast, which ultimately led to his forming a band, the 12-piece Venice Ballroom Orchestra, there in 1925. In 1926, he had a band named the Ten Californians, which had some performances broadcast on WLW radio in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Pollack formed his own band in 1926. Over time the band included Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden, and Jimmy McPartland. One of the earliest members of his band was Gil Rodin, a saxophonist whose business acumen served him well later as an executive for the Music Corporation of America.
From about 1928, with involvement from Irving Mills, members of Pollack's band moonlighted at Plaza-ARC and recorded a vast quantity of hot dance and jazz for their dime store labels — Banner, Perfect, Domino, Cameo, Lincoln, Romeo — under the names Mills' Merry Makers, Goody's Good Timers, Kentucky Grasshoppers, Mills' Musical Clowns, The Lumberjacks, Dixie Daises, The Caroliners, The Whoopee Makers, The Hotsy Totsy Gang, Dixie Jazz Band, and Jimmy Bracken's Toe Ticklers. Combining Pollack's regular recordings with these side groups made Pollack's one of the more prolific bands of the 1920s and 1930s.
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