Artie Shaw

Artie Shaw, Arthur Jacob Arshawsky, better known by his stage name (New York City, 1910 – May 23, Thousand Oaks (California), december 30, 2004) was an Americanjazzclarinetist, jazz composer, band leader, writer and actor.

At the age of fourteen, he began to play the saxophone, and a few months later the clarinet. At fifteen he left high school to as a musician by America. In 1934 he ceased his musical activities temporarily to finish his school.

After leading various combos he formed in the spring of 1937 a swing band called Artie Shaw and His New Music, which, however, had not much success until Jerry Gray an arrangement made for Cole Porter's song "Begin the Beguine" with which the band established its reputation. The inclusion of July 1938 the number one classic. Shaws own radio show, the many recordings that he made with his band and the gigs in the dancehalls ensured the preservation of its popularity.

Especially in the period 1935-1945 Shaw would be known as the King of the Clarinet. During the Second World War, he played in the war zones for the American soldiers.Throughout his life he alternated periods in which he made a lot of music with periods in which he was involved with other things, including writing books and playing in movies.

Shaw scored for Bluebird Records several hits, including "It Had to Be You", "Donkey Serenade", "Rose Room", "Out of Nowhere", "Oh, Lady Be Good" and "All the Things You Are". With a thirty-two-man band, reinforced by thirteen thirteen strings, Shaw took on 3 March 1940 his bestseller "Frenesi" on.

Shaw was married until early 1940s with Betty Kern, married Lana Turner in February 1940 and separated that same year by her. Then, in the period 1945-1946, he was married to Ava Gardner and from 1957 to 1985 with movie actress Evelyn Keyes. Artie Shaw died at 94 years of age. ==Bibliography[ Edit] ==
 * 1952: The Trouble With Cinderella, an Outline of Identity, semi-autobiographical
 * 1964: I Love You, I Hate You, Drop Dead!