Tex Beneke
Tex Beneke | |
|---|---|
Shep Fields and Beneke, Glen Island Casino, New Rochelle, N.Y., May 16, 1947. Photograph by William P. Gottlieb. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gordon Lee Beneke |
| Born | February 12, 1914 Fort Worth, Texas, US |
| Died | May 30, 2000 (aged 86) Costa Mesa, California, US |
| Genres | Big band, swing, jazz, blues |
| Occupation | musician |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone, vocals |
| Formerly of | Glenn Miller Orchestra The Modernaires Eydie Gorme Ronnie Deauville Henry Mancini Norman Leyden |
Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke (/ˈbɛnəki/ BEN-ə-kee; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000) was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gormé, Henry Mancini, and Ronnie Deauville. Beneke also solos on the recording the Glenn Miller Orchestra made of their popular song "In the Mood" and sings on another popular Glenn Miller recording, "Chattanooga Choo Choo". Jazz critic Will Friedwald considers Beneke to be one of the major blues singers who sang with the big bands of the early 1940s.