Tex Beneke

Tex Beneke

Source: Obits In Orbit

Born Gordon Lee Beneke (BEN-uh-kee) on 12 February 1914 in Fort Worth, Texas, Tex Beneke was a singer who began playing saxophone professionally in 1935 with bandleader, Ben Young. In spring of 1938 Beneke was hired by Glenn Miller who began calling him "Tex". Recommended to Miller by Gene Krupa, Beneke shared tenor sax with Stanley Aronson on his first recordings with Miller's band on May 23, 1938, two takes each of 'Don't Wake Up My Heart', 'Why'd Ya Make Me Fall in Love?', 'Sold American' and 'Dippermouth Blues'. Proving to be a talent of first order, Miller held on to Beneke thereafter, they next to record for NBC radio from the Paradise Restaurant in New York City on four occasions in June. The earliest example found featuring Beneke at saxophone is alongside sax man, Al Klink, in 'In the Mood' in 1939. Beneke was also a highly popular vocalist with Miller.

Tex Beneke w the Glenn Miller Orchestra

Recordings from first-known session on 23 May 1938 in NYC

'Don't Wake Up My Heart' (Pete Wendling / Samuel M. Lewis / George W. Meyer)

'Why'd Ya Make Me Fall in Love?' (Walter Donaldson)

'Sold American' (Glenn Miller / Chummy MacGregor)

'Dippermouth Blues' (Joe King Oliver / Louis Armstrong / Walter Melrose [lyrics])

Trumpet: Johnny Austin / Bob Price / Gasparre Rebito

Trombone: Miller / Brad Jenny / Al Mastren

Clarinet / alto sax: Hal McIntyre / Wilbur Schwartz / Sol Kane

Tenor sax: Stanley Aronson (clarinet) / Beneke

Piano: Chummy MacGregor

Bass: Rollie Bundock   Drums: Bob Spangler

Vocals: Ray Eberle / Gail Reese

 'In the Mood'   Tex Beneke w the Glenn Miller Orchestra

1 Aug 1939 in NYC   Matrix 038170-1   Bluebird 10416 / HMV 2709

This had gone down earlier for radio on 26 July 1939 issued on Reader's Digest CD 3979

Composition:

Document Records Store   James Leonard   Swing and Beyond

Wikipedia   Wind Repertory Project   Alice Winkler

Beneke assumed leadership of Miller's orchestra upon the latter's death in 1944 during World War II. Beneke, however, first joined the Navy and led a military band in Oklahoma before taking over the Glenn Miller orchestra in 1945. Beneke's first issues as leader of that band were from a session on February 21, 1946: 'One More Tomorrow', 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot', 'I'm Headin' for California' and 'It Couldn't Be True'. Beneke scored several top issues on Billboard with the Miller ghost orchestra. A sort of Top Ten below:

   Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop   #4   May 1946
   I Know   #9   Aug 1946
   Give Me Five Minutes More   #4   Aug 1946
   Passe   #9   Oct 1946
   A Gal in Calico   #6   Dec 1946
   Anniversary Song   #3   Feb 1947
   St. Louis Blues March   #5   April 1948

'Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop'  Tex Beneke leads the Glenn Miller Orchestra

28 March 1946 in NYC   Matrix D6VB 1386   Victor 20-1859 / HMV B1252

Trumpet: Bobby Nichols / Graham Young / Steve Steck / Whitey Thomas

Trombone: Jimmy Priddy / Paul Tanner / John Halliburton / Nat Peck

Flugelhorn: Addison Collins

Clarinet / alto sax: Freddy Guerra / Chick Canode / Mannie Thaler (baritone)

Tenor sax: Beneke (vocal) / Stanley Aronson / Vince Carbone

Piano: Joe Rann   Guitar: Carmen Mastren / Bobby Joe Gibbons

Bass: Rollie Bundock   Drums: Maurice Purtill

Violin:

Gene Bergen / James Caesar /  Phil Cogliano / Earl Cornwall / Stan Harris / Jaspar Hornyak

Joseph Kowalewski / Stan Kraft / Richard Motylinski / Gred Ostrovsky / Bob Ripley / Tom Lanese

Composition: Lionel Hampton / Curley Hamner

'Give Me Five Minutes More'  Tex Beneke leads the Glenn Miller Orchestra

28 May 1946 in NYC   Matrix D6VB 2227   Victor 20-1922 / Camden CAL491

Trumpet: Bobby Nichols / Graham Young / Steve Steck / Whitey Thomas

Trombone: Jimmy Priddy / Paul Tanner / John Halliburton / Nat Peck

Flugelhorn: John Graas

Clarinet / alto sax: Malcolm Lary / Freddy Guerra /  Mannie Thaler (baritone)

Tenor sax: Beneke (vocal) / Stanley Aronson / Vince Carbone

Piano: Vince Lashied   Guitar: Bobby Joe Gibbons

Bass: Rollie Bundock   Drums: Jack Sperling

Violin:

Gene Bergen / James Caesar /  Phil Cogliano / Earl Cornwall / Stan Harris / Jaspar Hornyak

Joseph Kowalewski / Stan Kraft / Richard Motylinski / Norman Forrest / Michael Vislocky / Carl Ottobrino

Composition: Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne

'A Gal In Calico'  Tex Beneke leads the Glenn Miller Orchestra w the Crew Chiefs

16 July 1946 in Chicago   Matrix D6VB 1911   Victor 20-1991 / HMV (E)MH51

Composition: Arthur Schwartz / Leo Robin   Arrangement: Norman Leyden

'Melody Time'  Tex Beneke leads the Glenn Miller Orchestra w the Crew Chiefs

1. 'Moonlight Serenade' (Glenn Miller / Mitchell Parish [lyrics])

2. 'In the Mood' (Joe Garland from Wingy Malone / Andy Razaf [lyrics])

3. Medley

4. 'American Patrol' (Frank White Meecham)

5. 'Woodchuck Song' (Theodore F. Morse / Robert Hobart Davis [lyrics])

Filmed Oct 1946 in Los Angeles   Released 29 Nov 1946 by RKO Radio Pictures

Directed by Jack Scholl in film credits. All other sources including copyright prefer Wallace Grissell.

Piano: Henry Mancini

'My Heart Is a Hobo'  Tex Beneke leads the Glenn Miller Orchestra w the Mello Larks

23 Dec 1946 in NYC   Matrix D6VB 3500   Victor 20-2260

Trumpet: Bobby Nichols / Graham Young / Jack Steele / Whitey Thomas

Trombone: Jimmy Priddy / Paul Tanner / John Halliburton / Bobby Pring

Flugelhorn: John Graas

Clarinet / alto sax: Sol Libero (flute) / Freddy Guerra /  Mannie Thaler (baritone)

Tenor sax: Beneke (vocal) / Stanley Aronson / Vince Carbone

Piano: Henry Mancini   Guitar: Bobby Joe Gibbons

Bass: Rollie Bundock   Drums: Jack Sperling

Violin:

Gene Bergen / Gene Shepherd /  Phil Cogliano / Earl Cornwall / Stan Harris / Jaspar Hornyak

Joseph Kowalewski / Stan Kraft / Richard Motylinski / Norman Forrest / Michael Vislocky / Carl Ottobrino

Music: James Van Heusen   Lyrics: Johnny Burke

'Anniversary Song'  Tex Beneke leads the Glenn Miller Orchestra w Garry Stevens and the Mello Larks

30 Dec 1946 in NYC   Matrix D6VB 3544   Victor 20-2126

Trumpet: Bobby Nichols / Graham Young / Jack Steele / Whitey Thomas

Trombone: Jimmy Priddy / Paul Tanner / John Halliburton / Bobby Pring

Flugelhorn: John Graas

Clarinet / alto sax: Sol Libero (flute) / Freddy Guerra /  Mannie Thaler (baritone)

Tenor sax: Beneke / Stanley Aronson / Vince Carbone

Piano: Henry Mancini   Guitar: Bobby Joe Gibbons

Bass: Rollie Bundock   Drums: Jack Sperling

Violin:

Gene Bergen / Gene Shepherd /  Phil Cogliano / Earl Cornwall / Stan Harris / Jaspar Hornyak

Joseph Kowalewski / Stan Kraft / Richard Motylinski / Norman Forrest / Michael Vislocky / Carl Ottobrino

Composition: Saul Chaplin / Al Jolson

Beneke began to lead his own orchestra in 1946, though he continued with vestiges of the Miller ghost band into 1951 and ever maintained the Miller swing style. Tom Lord finds Beneke releasing seven or eight albums in the sixties, 'Beneke On Broadway' his last, gone down in December 1969 per Bulldog Records BDL 1037. His last-known recording in Lord's sessionography is 'Juke Box Saturday Night' with the Billy May Orchestra issued on 'The Swing Era: Curtain Call: The Sounds of Swing' per Time/Life STL352 issued in 1972.

'St. Louis Blues March'  Tex Beneke and His Orchestra

23 Dec 1947 in Hollywood   Matrix D7VB 2742   Victor 20-2722

Composition: W.C. Handy   Arrangement: Norman Leyden

'Can I Canoe You Up the River'  Tex Beneke and His Orchestra

18 Nov 1949 in Hollywood   Matrix D9VB 0791   Victor 20-3616

Composition: Marjorie Goetschius / Edna Osser

'You Blew Out the Flame In My Heart'  Tex Beneke and His Orchestra

30 Dec 1946 in NYC   Matrix 51S 247   MGM 11029

Trumpet: Ed Zandy / Art Depew / Jimmy Campbell / Jack Steele

Trombone: Vahey "Tak" Takvorian / Tom Mitchell / George Monte

Alto sax: Ben Fussell / Steve Cole

Tenor sax: Beneke (vocal) / Frank Maynes / Bob Peck

Baritone sax: Bob Dawes

Piano: Joe Burlangri   Guitar: Sam Herman

Bass: Buddy Clark   Drums: Maurice Purtill

Composition: Johnny Hodges / Ervin Drake / Jimmy Shirl   Arrangement: Henry Mancini

'Danny's Hideaway'  Tex Beneke and His Orchestra

1 Sep 1953 in Hollywood   Matrix WL 7345-A   Coral 61058

Trumpet: Ed Zandy / Dick Hoffman / Bob Funk / Sam Perillo

Trombone: Leroy Anderson / Ralph Craig / George Monte

Clarinet / alto sax: Wilbur Schwartz / Steve Cole

Tenor sax: Beneke (vocal) / Johnny Hayes / Pete Dovino

Baritone sax: Gene Allen

Piano: Fern Facon   Guitar: Al Hendrickson

Bass: Buddy Clark   Drums: Alvin Stoller

Composition: Robert Mellin / Sam H. Stept

'The Big Bands'  Tex Beneke and His Orchestra   Television

1965 at WGN Studios in Chicago   Television series by 20th Century-Fox

Directed by John Ertmann

'Walk Right In'  Tex Beneke and His Orchestra

Dec 1969 at RCA Studios in Hollywood

From the album 'Beneke On Broadway' on Bulldog BDL 1037 / Reader's Digest RA-112 / RD4-112-2

Personnel including:

Trombone: Jimmy Priddy / Paul Tanner

Clarinet / alto sax: Wilbur Schwartz   Tenor sax: Beneke

Bass: Rollie Bundock

Composition: Gus Cannon

'Juke Box Saturday Night'  Tex Beneke w Billy May and His Orchestra

Dec 1969 at RCA Studios in Hollywood

From the Billy May album 'The Swing Era: Curtain Call: The Sounds of Swing'

Time/Life STL 352   1972

Backing vocals:

Eileen Wilson / Bob Grabeau / Sue Allen / William Brown / Alan Copeland / Charles Kelly / Tom Kenny

Music: Paul McGrane   Lyrics: Al Stillman

Beneke died of respiratory failure in Costa Mesa, California, on 30 May 2000.