DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say, right there on Neches Street in Beaumont. Well — Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway now.
Same road, different name, and a whole lot of history underneath it. So pull up a chair and let me spin this one out for you. This is the story of Henry Haag James.
You probably know him as Harry. Born in 1916 in Albany, Georgia, Harry James would one day be called one of the most essential trumpeters and bandleaders in the history of American music. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
When Harry was eight years old, his parents settled right here in Beaumont, Texas. His father, Everette, was a music teacher, and Everette set up a studio right there in the family home at 2095 Neches Street. Now just think about that for a moment — a music teacher running a studio out of the house, and a boy growing up in the middle of all those notes.
Harry James joined the Dick Dowling Junior High School Orchestra. Then over at Beaumont High School, he joined the Royal Purple Band. The kid was already going somewhere.
In 1934, Harry began his professional career when he toured with Joe Gill. One year later, in 1935, he joined Ben Pollack's Band, and right there he made his recording debut with a number called Spreading Knowledge Around. Now that title has a little wink to it, doesn't it, because that is precisely what Harry James went on to do.
Then came 1937. Benny Goodman — one of the great names in the whole Swing era — heard James play. Heard him and knew.
Offered him a job with his orchestra, just like that. James took it, and the world of American music shifted just a little on its axis. By 1940, Harry James was ready to lead his own band.
And here is one of those details that makes a story sing — he started that band with Benny Goodman's blessing and his financial support. The man who hired him helped him fly. James recorded You Made Me Love You and Flight of the Bumble Bee, and by 1942 he was one of the most popular musicians in the entire country.
Now, if his own career wasn't enough to write home about, consider what he did for a couple of other folks you may have heard of. Harry James was instrumental in jumpstarting the careers of singer Frank Sinatra and drummer Buddy Rich. He had an eye — and an ear — for talent, and the generosity to put it to work.
His film career began with Hollywood Hotel and stretched out from there — Two Girls and a Sailor, Young Man With a Horn, The Benny Goodman Story, Anything Goes, and Springtime in the Rockies, that last one alongside his second wife, actress Betty Grable. The Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s had a lot of voices, but Harry James was something apart. His innovative playing style influenced trumpeters and changed the history of jazz.
Not shaped it a little. Changed it. Harry James died in 1983 and is buried in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And somewhere back in Beaumont, on the road that used to be Neches Street, the walls of that old homesite once rang with the sound of a man learning how to do all of that.
What the marker says
Henry Haag "Harry" James was an American musician who became famous as one of the most popular bandleaders during the "Big Band" or "Swing Band" era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was born in 1916 in Albany, Georgia. When Harry was eight his parents settled in Beaumont, where his father, Everette, was a music teacher. Everette set up a studio in their home located at 2095 Neches Street which is now Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway. Harry James joined Dick Dowling Junior High School Orchestra and at Beaumont High School he joined the Royal Purple Band. He began his professional career in 1934 when he toured with Joe Gill. In 1935 James joined Ben Pollack's Band where he made his recording debut with "Spreading Knowledge Around." In 1937, Benny Goodman heard James play and offered him a job with his orchestra. James started his own band in 1940 with Goodman's blessing and financial support. James recorded many popular songs including "You Made Me Love You" and "Flight of the Bumble Bee," and by 1942 he was one of the most popular musicians in the country. James was instrumental in jumpstarting the careers of famous entertainers, such as singer Frank Sinatra and drummer Buddy Rich. His film career began with Hollywood Hotel, but also included other films like Two Girls and a Sailor, Young Man With a Horn, The Benny Goodman Story, Anything Goes, and Springtime In The Rockies with his second wife, actress Betty Grable. Harry James has been called "one of the most essential trumpeters and bandleaders in the history of American music." His innovative playing style influenced trumpeters and changed the history of jazz. Harry James died in 1983 and is buried in Las Vegas, Nevada. (2012)