Big Band Leaders: Top 50+

Big Band Leaders: Top 50+

Big band was a popular form of music in the first half of the 20th century. It was essentially a jazz orchestra, typically comprised of ten or more musiicans including saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, and a rhythm section which might tconsist of guitar, piano, double bass, and drums. By the mid-1930s, swing music, which had a more supple feel than early jazz, became increasingly popular. On the charts, such bands were generally credited to the bandleaders with featured vocalists noted. This list focuses on those most popular band leaders. It was comprised by aggregating 16 lists focused on the best big band leaders of all time. The list here includes all individuals appearing on 4 or more lists. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories. 15 lists: 1. Benny Goodman 2. Count Basie 13 lists: 3. Glenn Miller 4. Duke Ellington 10 lists: 5. Artie Shaw 9 lists: 6. Tommy Dorsey 7. Cab Calloway 8 lists: 8. Louis Armstrong 9. Jimmy Dorsey 10. Harry James 11. Woody Herman 7 lists: 12. Gene Krupa 13. Chick Webb 6 lists: 14. Lionel Hampton 15. 20. Earl Hines 5 lists: 16. Fats Waller 17. Eddy Duchin 18. Kay Kyser 19. Glen Gray 20. Bob Crosby 21. Ozzie Nelson 22. Buddy Rich 23. Fletcher Henderson 24. Jimmie Lunceford 25. Jack Teagarden 26. Charlie Spivak 4 lists: 27. Paul Whiteman 28. Sammy Kaye 29. Isham Jones 30. Freddy Martin 31. Louis Jordan 32. Hal Kemp 33. Ray Noble 34. Russ Morgan 35. Horace Heidt 36. Ted Weems 37. Dizzy Gillespie 38. Stan Kenton 39. Benny Carter 40. Les Brown 41. Frankie Carle 42. Xavier Cugat 43. Bunny Berigan 44. Will Bradley 45. Andy Kirk 46. Red Norvo 47. Claude Thornhill 48. Eddie DeLange 49. Erskine Hawkins 50. Ina Ray Hutton 51. Tony Pastor 52. Jan Savitt Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories Dave’s Music Database: Big Band: Top 100 Songs First posted 6/23/2026.

 

The Top 50 Jazz Musicians of All Time

Jazz: Top 50 Acts

These are the top 50 jazz artists of all time according to Dave’s Music Database. The term “jazz” is used to incorporate instrumental jazz performed by small ensembles, big band jazz, vocal jazz, and traditional pop. That means this list includes musicians, singers, and band leaders. The list was determined by aggregating 17 best-of lists. Those acts appearing on 3 or more lists were re-ordered based on overall status in Dave’s Music Database. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. 1. Frank Sinatra 2. Benny Goodman 3. Louis Armstrong 4. Glenn Miller 5. Nat “King” Cole 6. Duke Ellington 7. Billie Holiday 8. Ella Fitzgerald 9. Miles Davis 10. Fats Waller 11. Bessie Smith 12. Artie Shaw 13. Count Basie 14. John Coltrane 15. Woody Herman 16. Herbie Hancock 17. Nina Simone 18. Thelonious Monk 19. Charles Mingus 20. Sarah Vaughan 21. Charlie Christian 22. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton 23. Charlie Parker 24. Dizzy Gillespie 25. Teddy Wilson 26. Dave Brubeck 27. Art Tatum 28. Lionel Hampton 29. Erroll Garner 30. Bill Evans 31. Stan Kenton 32. Oscar Peterson 33. Django Reinhardt 34. Max Roach 35. Stan Getz 36. Wes Montgomery 37. Sonny Rollins 38. Coleman Hawkins 39. Bud Powell 40. Scott Joplin 41. Keith Jarrett 42. Lester Young 43. Art Blakey 44. Ornette Coleman 45. Cannonball Adderley 46. Wayne Shorter 47. Benny Carter 48. John McLaughlin 49. McCoy Tyner 50. Jimmy Smith Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Jazz Albums of All Time Dave’s Music Database: Top 100 Jazz Songs of All Time First posted 12/23/2011; last updated 3/8/2026.

Ragtime: Top 50 Songs

Ragtime: Top 50 Songs

Ragtime music was a largely piano-based form of music which reached its widest widest popularity between the mid-1890s and World War I. Its primary characteristic is, according to OxfordMusicOnline.com, “its ragged – i.e., syncopated rhythm.” OM This was, as ParlorSongs.com says, “usually in 2/4 time, over a regular, march tempo bass line.” PS The genre is significant as a predecessor to jazz. 16 lists were aggregated together (see sources at the bottom of the page). All songs appearing on 2+ lists were then sorted by overall DMDB points. The top 50 songs were then sorted by the most points on the ragtime lists. As to how the songs are listed – first up are the songwriters, followed by the title of the song and the year the song was introduced. When relevant, the performer(s) with the highest-ranked version of the song are listed in italics. Ragtime purists will quibble with songs such as “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” that don’t adhere to strict definitions. I offer no apologies for such inclusions, as this list is meant to celebrate those tunes which introduced and shaped the craft as well as those which popularized the genre by integrating elements of ragtime. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. “The Entertainer,” as performed by Marvin Hamlisch in the 1973 movie ‘The Sting’ 1. Scott Joplin “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899) 2. Scott Joplin “The Entertainer” (1902) 3. Tom Turpin “Harlem Rag” (1897) 4. Eubie Blake “Charleston Rag” (1899) 5. Euday L. Bowman “Twelfth Street Rag” (1916): Pee Wee Hunt, 1948 6. Harry DeCosta, Original Dixieland Jazz Band “Tiger Rag” (1918) 7. Charles L. Johnson “Dill Pickles Rag” (1906): Arthur Pryor’s Band, 1910 8. James Scott “Climax Rag” (1913): Jelly Roll Morton, 1914 9. Irving Berlin “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911): Arthur Collins & Bryon G. Harlan, 1911 10. Percy Wenrich “Peaches and Cream Rag” (1905): Len Spencer & Ada Jones, 1905 11. Scott Joplin “Elite Syncopations” (1902) 12. James Scott “Frog Legs Rag” (1906) 13. Joseph Lamb “Top Liner Rag” (1916) 14. Scott Joplin “Sunflower Slow Drag” (1901) 15. Scott Joplin “Weeping Willow” (1903) 16. Henry Lodge “Temptation Rag” (1909): Prince’s Orchestra, 1910 17. Hughie Cannon, Johnnie Queen “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902): Arthur Collins, 1902 18. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton “King Porter Stomp” (1923) 19. Kerry & F.A. Mills “At a Georgia Camp Meeting” (1897): Dan Quinn, 1898 20. Grant Clarke, Lewis F. Muir, & Maurice Abrahams “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” (1912): Bob Roberts, 1912 21. Ben R. Harney “Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose” (1896) 22. W.C. Handy, George A. Norton, Charles Tobias, Peter DeRose “The Memphis Blues” (1912): Prince’s Orchestra, 1914 23. Abe Holzmann “Smoky Mokes” (1899): Len Spencer, 1899 24. Zez Confrey “Kitten on the Keys” (1921) 25. Charles Hunter “Tickled to Death” (1899) 26. Kerry & F.A. Mills “Whistling Rufus” (1899): Vess Ossman, 1899 27. Joseph E. Howard, Ida Emerson “Hello Ma Baby” (1899): Arthur Collins, 1899 28. Nat. D. Ayer, Seymour Brown “Oh, You Beautiful Doll” (1911): Billy Murray & American Quartet, 1911 29. Theodore August Metz, Joe Hayden “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1896): Dan Quinn, 1896 30. Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson, James Weldon Johnson “Under the Bamboo Tree” (1902): Arthur Collins, 1902 31. Theodore Havermeyer Northrup “The Louisiana Rag” (1897) 32. John Philip Sousa “The Washington Post March” (1889): United States Marine Band, 1890) 33. W.C. Handy “St. Louis Blues” (1914): Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong, 1925 34. James Reese Europe “Castle House Rag” (1914) 35. Spencer Williams, Jack Palmer “Everybody Loves My Baby” (1924): Aileen Stanley, 1925 36. Thomas Turpin “St. Louis Rag” (1903): Vess Ossman, 1905 37. James Reese Europe, Ford Dabney “The Castle Walk” (1914): Irene & Vernon Castle, 1914 38. traditional “Turkey in the Straw” (1820): Billy Golden, 1891 (1891) 39. Scott Joplin “Bethena (Ragtime Waltz)” (1905) 40. Scott Joplin “Swipesy Cake Walk” (1900) 41. Cecil Macklin “Tres Moutarde (Too Much Mustard)” (1911): Victor Military Band, 1911 42. George Sidney, J. Bodewell Lampe “Creole Belles” (1900): Metropolitan Orchestra, 1902 43. Thomas S. Allen “Any Rags?” (1903): Arthur Collins, 1903 44. W.C. Handy, Walter Hirsch “Joe Turner Blues” (1915): Prince’s Orchestra, 1916 45. Robert S. Roberts, Gene Jefferson “I’m Certainly Living a Ragtime Life” (1900): Fannie Midgely, 1900 46. Irving Berlin “That International Rag” (1913): Victor Military Band, 1914 47. Irving Berlin “I Want to Go Back to Michigan (Down on the Farm)” (1914): Eldia Morris, 1914 48. Tom Turpin “The Buffalo Rag” (1904): Vess Ossman, 1906 49. Scott Joplin “Scott Joplin’s New Rag” (1912) 50. Theron C. Bennett “St. Louis Tickle” (1904): Vess Ossman, 1910 Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists Alfred.com Ragtime Classics (piano book) All Music Guide “Jazz >> New Orleans/Classic Jazz >> Ragtime” BalladofAmerica.org “Ragtime: About the Genre” Cmuse.org (9/7/2018). “8 Famous Ragtime Piano Music Pieces You Should Listen To” by Dr. Justin Wildridge DigitalDreamDoor.com (11/22/2020). “Ragtime Piano Music: List of 100 Greatest Rags” edited by Lew Discogs.com “Ragtime Music Description” GoldStandardSongList.com (includes 13 ragtime songs from 1900-1919) HalLeonard.com “The Big Book of Ragtime Piano (piano book) Jazz 90.1 “Week #9: The History of Ragtime” TheMeister.co.uk “Ragtime” Minnesota Public Radio (May 1999). “100 Years of the Maple Leaf Rag” OM OxfordMusicOnline.com (10/16/2013). “Ragtime” by Edward A. Berlin PS ParlorSongs.com: “The Musical Origins of the Piano Rag” PerfessorBill.com “What Are Ragtime and Old-Time Music?” PDMusic.org: “What is Ragtime Piano Music?” Ranker.com (10/10/2018). “The Very Best Ragtime Songs” RateYourMusic.com: “Rag Mama Rag: 100 Ragtime Singles” by paddlestreamer TakeLessons.com (6/25/2015). “Introduction to Ragtime Piano: 5 Iconic Pieces to Know” First posted 4/16/2021; last updated 9/6/2023.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums (May 2021)

Originally posted 5/22/2021. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the tenth group of album inductees. These are the among the top twenty jazz albums of all time, excluding previous inductees Miles Davis’ A Kind of Blue, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Bessie Smith’s The Essential, Louis Armstrong’s Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, Glenn Miller’s Glenn Miller, Henry Mancini’s Music from Peter Gunn, Duke Ellington’s The Blanton Webster Band 1939-1942, and Benny Goodman’s Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. See the full list of album inductees here.

Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (1956) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

“Sinatra’s albums for Capitol introduced the singer’s album, the concept album and the grown-up album all at once.” RC On this album, the focus from Ol’ Blue Eyes and conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle was “on churning out up-tempo dance versions of standards.” SHS Read more.

Duke Ellington At Newport (1956) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

After an unsuccessful stint at Capitol Records, Duke Ellington re-established himself “as a vitally popular jazz artist” AMG with At Newport, a recorded of his appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956. The original album release was “almost fully manufactured, recorded in a studio with crowd madness dubbed in” AB but four decades later, a tape of the original Newport set saw the light of day, reviving the “set in its organic glory.” AB Read more.

Charles Mingus Ah Um (1959) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

Ah Um “is a stunning summation of the bassist’s talents and probably the best reference point for beginners…Mingus’ compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith” AMG on Mingus’ debut for Columbia, a Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry inductee. Read more.

Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

This “was a watershed event in the genesis of avant-garde jazz, profoundly steering its future course and throwing down a gauntlet that some still haven’t come to grips with. The record shattered traditional concepts of harmony in jazz, getting rid of not only the piano player but the whole idea of concretely outlined chord changes.” AMG The album was Coleman’s debut with Atlantic and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry. Read more.

Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

“Dave Brubeck’s defining masterpiece, Time Out is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history…Brubeck’s record company wasn’t keen on releasing such an arty project, and many critics initially roasted him for tampering with jazz’s rhythmic foundation. But for once, public taste was more advanced than that of the critics.” SH Read more.

Stan Getz with João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto (1963) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

“One of the biggest-selling jazz albums of all time, not to mention bossa nova’s finest moment.” AMG “It’s one of those rare jazz records about which the purist elite and the buying public are in total agreement.” AMG Getz/Gilberto brought “two of bossa nova’s greatest innovators – guitarist/ singer João Gilberto and composer/ pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim – to New York to record with Stan Getz. The results were magic.” AMG The Grammy winner for Album of the Year featured The Girl from Ipanema, “one of the biggest smash hit singles in jazz history.” AMG Read more.

John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme is “widely considered his masterpiece.” WK Jazz critic Tom Hull called it “the most perfectly plotted single piece of jazz ever recorded.” WK It is also “easily one of the most important records ever made” JI in any genre. Techno-DJ Moby said it “is probably oe of the most beautiful and sublime recordings of the twentieth century.” AK-xvi Read more.

Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

“Inspired by the visionary work of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly Stone, Miles Davis began incorporating funk grooves and electronic instruments into his music – first with the languid, contemplative In a Silent Way…and then on…Bitches Brew.” TL The latter is “thought by many to be the most revolutionary album in jazz history, having virtually created the genre known as jazz-rock fusion.” TJ Read more.

Herbie Hancock Head Hunters (1973) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

“Perhaps the defining moment of the jazz-fusion movement (or perhaps even the spearhead of the Jazz-funk style of the fusion genre), the album made jazz listeners out of rhythm and blues fans, and vice versa.” WK “Hancock had pushed avant-garde boundaries on his own albums and with Miles Davis, but he had never devoted himself to the groove as he did on Head Hunters,” STE an inductee into the Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry. Read more.

Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002) Inducted May 2021 as “Top Jazz Albums.”

In 2003, Norah Jones won Grammys for Best New Artist, Album of the Year for Come Away with Me, and Record and Song of the Year for the album’s lead single, “Don’t Know Why.” The album topped the Billboard album chart and sold 27 million worldwide. “Though its surprising success…overwhelmed it, this seductively modest little record is a marvel of mood and invention. The songwriting and arrangements are sophisticated, often jazzy, yet full of catchy hooks. And Jones’ vocals are silken and perfectly turned, setting a seamless mood that could soundtrack high-end restaurants and low-rent make-out sessions alike.” RS’11 Read more.

Big Band: Top 100 Songs

Big Band: Top 100 Songs

Big Band, or Swing music, was especially popular in the 1930s and ‘40s. They were generally jazz-oriented orchestras led by such dominant names as Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. In fact, more than 20 of these songs also appear on the DMDB’s Top 100 Jazz Songs list. This list was created by aggregating 21 lists focused on big band songs. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. Duke Ellington “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941) 2. Benny Goodman “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” (1938) 3. Glenn Miller “In the Mood” (1939) 4. Glenn Miller “A String of Pearls” (1942) 5. Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & the Four Modernaires “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941) 6. Artie Shaw “Begin the Beguine” (1938) 7. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941) 8. Glenn Miller “Tuxedo Junction” (1940) 9. The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen’s Orchestra “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (1941) 10. Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “I’ll Never Smile Again” (1940) 11. Glenn Miller “Moonlight Serenade” (1939) 12. Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929) 13. Benny Goodman “Stompin’ at the Savoy” (1936) 14. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly “Tangerine” (1942) 15. Tommy Dorsey “Opus One” (1945) 16. Les Brown’s Orchestra with Doris Day “Sentimental Journey” (1945) 17. Count Basie “One O’Clock Jump” (1937) 18. Woody Herman “At the Woodchoppers’ Ball” (1939) 19. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1930) 20. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959) 21. Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter’s Orchestra “I’ll Be Seeing You” (1944) 22. Duke Ellington with Ivie Anderson “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” (1932) 23. Rosemary Clooney “Tenderly” (1952) 24. Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher (The Ho Do Ho Song)” (1931) 25. Duke Ellington “Perdido” (1942) 26. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Night and Day” (1932) 27. Coleman Hawkins “Body and Soul” (1940) 28. Glenn Miller “Pennsylvania 6-5000” (1940) 29. Billie Holiday with Camarata’s Orchestra “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945) 30. Woody Herman “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” (1941) 31. Tommy Dorsey “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” (1936) 32. Glen Gray “Sunrise Serenade” (1939) 33. Charlie Barnet “Skyliner” (1944) 34. Lionel Hampton “Flying Home” (1940) 35. Benny Goodman “Moonglow” (1934) 36. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell “Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)” (1941) 37. Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & Marion Hutton “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” (1942) 38. Charlie Barnet “Cherokee (Indian Love Song)” (1939) 39. Duke Ellington “Caravan” (1937) 40. Harry James “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1941) 41. Bing Crosby “White Christmas” (1942) 42. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939) 43. Billie Holiday “Summertime” (1936) 44. The Andrews Sisters “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (Means That You're Grand)” (1938) 45. Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938) 46. Bunny Berigan “I Can’t Get Started” (1938) 47. Marion Harris “The Man I Love” (1928) 48. Paul Whiteman “Oh, Lady Be Good” (1925) 49. Duke Ellington “Mood Indigo“ (1931) 50. Count Basie “April in Paris” (1956) 51. Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child” (1941) 52. Cab Calloway “Hep! Hep! The Jumpin’ Jive” (1939) 53. Harry James with Frank Sinatra “All or Nothing at All” (1939) 54. Walter Huston “September Song” (1939) 55. Duke Ellington “Satin Doll” (1953) 56. Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee “Why Don’t You Do Right?” (1943) 57. Glenn Miller with Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke, & the Modernaires “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me” (1942) 58. Tommy Dorsey with the Pied Pipers “Let’s Get Away from It All” (1941) 59. Duke Ellington “Solitude” (1934) 60. Paul Whiteman “Song of India” (1921) 61. Benny Goodman “Don’t Be That Way” (1938) 62. Count Basie “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” (1938) 63. Tommy Dorsey with Jo Stafford & Sy Oliver “Yes Indeed!” (1941) 64. Teddy Wilson “Sweet Lorraine” (1935) 65. Johnny Mercer with Jo Stafford & the Pied Pipers “Candy” (1945) 66. Glenn Miller “Skylark” (1942) 67. Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933) 68. Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard “All the Things You Are” (1939) 69. The Andrews Sisters “Rum and Coca-Cola” (1945) 70. Larry Clinton with Bea Wain “Deep Purple” (1939) 71. Artie Shaw “Frenesi” (1940) 72. Jelly Roll Morton “King Porter Stomp” (1923) 73. Dick Haymes with Victor Young’s Orchestra “It Might As Well Be Spring” (1945) 74. Nat “King” Cole with Frank DeVol’s Orchestra “Nature Boy” (1948) 75. Hal Kemp with Bob Allen “Where or When” (1937) 76. Ella Fitzgerald & the Delta Rhythm Boys “It’s Only a Paper Moon” (1945) 77. Roger Wolfe Kahn “Sometimes I’m Happy” (1927) 78. Dooley Wilson “As Time Goes By” (1942) 79. Nat “King” Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1944) 80. Artie Shaw “Dancing in the Dark” (1941) 81. Nat “King” Cole “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” (1946) 82. Johnny Mercer & the Pied Pipers “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” (1945) 83. Judy Garland with Georgie Stoll’s Orchestra “The Trolley Song” (1944) 84. Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard “Marie” (1937) 85. Glenn Miller with Ray Eberle “Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread” (1940) 86. Benny Goodman with Martha Tilton “And the Angels Sing” (1939) 87. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek” (1935) 88. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935) 89. Earl Burtnett with Harry Richman “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (1930) 90. Paul Whitman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924) 91. Kate Smith “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (1940) 92. Duke Ellington “Sophisticated Lady” (1933) 93. Perry Como with Russel Case’s Orchestra “If I Loved You” (1945) 94. The Ink Spots “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (1943) 95. Horace Heidt with Larry Cotton, Donna Wood, & Don Juans “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire’ (1941) 96. Harry James with Helen Forrest “I’ve Heard That Song Before” (1943) 97. Benny Goodman with Helen Forrest “Taking a Chance on Love” (1940) 98. Louis Jordan “Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie” (1946) 99. Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “Oh, Look at Me Now” (1941) 100. Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” (1946) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists First posted 4/18/2021; last updated 4/19/2021.

Benny Goodman: Top 100 Songs

First posted 5/30/2012; updated 5/31/2019.

image from lessignnets.com

Jazz clarinetist and bandleader known as “The King of Swing” for ushering in more dance-oriented jazz, fueled by Fletcher Henderson’s arrangements, which appealed to teens. Born Benjamin David Goodman on 5/30/1909 in Chicago, Illinois. Died 6/13/1986. Was in a band by age 14. Worked with Isham Jones, Ted Lewis, Red Nichols, Ben Pollack (25-29), and Ben Selvin. Formed his own band in 1934. He launched the careers of many other jazz musicians including guitarist Charlie Christian and drummer Gene Krupa and was one of the first to lead integrated jazz groups. His 1/16/1938 Carnegie Hall concert in New York is, as All Music Guide’s Bruce Eder called it, “the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history.”

For a complete list of this act’s songs and albums honored by the DMDB, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

---

Top 100 Songs

---

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

MB = Mildred Bailey, HF = Helen Forrest, DH = Dick Haymes, PL = Peggy Lee, MT = Martha Tilton, LT = Louise Tobin, HW = Helen Ward. Songs which peaked at #1 on the U.S. pop charts are noted (#1).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) (1938)
2. These Foolish Things Remind Me of You (w/ HW, 1936) #1
3. Taking a Chance on Love (w/ HF, 1943) #1
4. There’ll Be Some Changes Made (w/ LT, 1941) #1
5. Goody Goody (w/ HW, 1936) #1
6. And the Angels Sing (w/ MF, 1939) #1

DMDB Top 5%:

7. Moonglow (1934) #1
8. Darn That Dream (w/ MB, 1940) #1
9. Don’t Be That Way (1938) #1
10. Jersey Bounce (w/ PL, 1942) #1

11. Goodnight My Love (w/ Ella Fitzgerald, 1937) #1
12. The Glory of Love (w/ HW, 1936) #1
13. This Can’t Be Love (w/ MF, 1938)
14. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place (1942) #1
15. Why Don’t You Do Right? (w/ PL, 1943)
16. Stardust (1936)
17. Stompin’ at the Savoy (1936)
18. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (w/ LT, 1939)
19. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (w/ Peggy Mann, 1945)
20. You Turned the Tables on Me (w/ HW, 1936) #1

21. St. Louis Blues (1936)
22. Gotta Be This Or That (w/ Dottie Reid, 1945)
23. Blue Moon (w/ HW, 1935)
24. Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me) (w/ PL, 1942)
25. Body and Soul (1935)
26. It’s Been So Long (w/ HW, 1936) #1
27. Blue Skies (w/ Art Lund, 1946)

DMDB Top 10%:

28. Give Me the Simple Life (w/ Liza Morrow, 1946)
29. How High the Moon (w/ HF, 1940)
30. Symphony (w/ Liza Morrow, 1945)

31. This Year’s Kisses (w/ Margaret McRae, 1937) #1
32. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (w/ MF, 1938) #1
33. Goodbye (1936)
34. The Way You Look Tonight (w/ PL, 1942)
35. On a Slow Boat to China (1948) 36. Cabin in the Sky (w/ HF, 1943)
37. The Man I Love (1937)
38. After You’ve Gone (1935)
39. Exactly Like You (w/ Lionel Hampton, 1936)
40. How Deep Is the Ocean? (w/ PL, 1941)

41. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (Means That You’r-e Grand) (w/ MF, 1938)
42. What’s New? (w/ LT, 1939)
43. Idaho (w/ DH, 1942)
44. The Japanese Sandman (1935)
45. As Long As I Live (1941)
46. Love Me or Leave Me (original, 1934)
47. Love Me or Leave Me (new recording, 1936)
48. Scatter-Brain (w/ LT, 1939)
49. You Can’t Pull the Wool Over My Eyes (w/ HW, 1936)
50. Blue Orchids (w/ LT, 1939)

DMDB Top 20%:

51. I Thought about You (w/ MB, 1939)
52. Sometimes I’m Happy (1935)
53. Flying Home (1939)
54. King Porter Stomp (1935)
55. Intermezzo (Souvenir De Vienne) (w/ HF, 1941)
56. A Gal in Calico (w/ Eve Young, 1947)
57. I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good (w/ PL, 1941)
58. It’s Only a Paper Moon (1945)
59. For Every Man There’s a Woman (w/ PL, 1948)
60. Please Be Kind (w/ MF, 1938)

61. I Know That You Know (1936)
62. You’re a Heavenly Thing (w/ HW, 1935)
63. Oh Babe! (1950)
64. China Boy (1936)
65. Afraid to Dream (w/ Betty Van, 1937)
66. The Dixieland Band (w/ HW, 1935)
67. We’ll Meet Again (w/ PL, 1942)
68. Serenade in Blue (w/ DH, 1942)
69. Yours (Quiereme Mucho) (w/ HF, 1941)
70. Basin Street Blues (1934)

71. Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?) (w/ MF, 1937)
72. Rose of Washington Square (1939)
73. I Want to Be Happy (1937)
74. I Don’t Know Enough About You (w/ Art Lund, 1946)
75. My Sister and I (1941)
76. Basin Street Blues (1934)
77. Air Mail Special (w/ HF, 1941)
78. In a Sentimental Mood (1936)
79. Solo Flight (w/ Charlie Christian, 1941)
80. I’m Gonna Love That Guy (w/ Dottie Reid, 1945)

81. It Isn’t Fair (w/ Buddy Greco, 1950)
82. Can’t Teach My Old Heart New Tricks (w/ MF, 1937)
83. Jingle Bells (1935)
84. Wang Wang Blues (1941)
85. Close As Pages in a Book (w/ Jane Harvey, 1945)
86. Bugle Call Rag (1934)
87. The Flat Foot Floogee (1938)
88. Perfidia (Tonight) (w/ HF, 1941)
89. Clouds (w/ Ray Hendricks, 1935)
90. A String of Pearls (w/ PL, 1942)

91. Lullaby in Rhythm (1938)
92. Stompin’ at the Savoy (new recording, 1937)
93. Organ Grinder’s Swing (1936)
94. Eenie Meenie Miney Mo (w/ HW, 1935)
95. My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms (w/ MF, 1939)
96. Swingtime in the Rockies (1936)
97. No Other One (w/ HW, 1935)
98. I Was Lucky (w/ HW, 1935)
99. I Have Eyes (w/ MT, 1938)
100. I Ain’t Lazy, I’m Just Dreamin’ (w/ Jack Teagarden, 1934)

---

Awards:

---

Today in Music (1938): Artie Shaw’s “Beguin the Beguine” hit #1

Begin the Beguine Artie Shaw

Writer(s): Cole Porter (see lyrics here) First Charted: September 3, 1938 Peak: 16 US, 12 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2.85 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Beguine” refers to a 1930s’ Cuban dance similar to a rumba. The moves, however, are slower and performed slowly and deliberately. Depending on the account one chooses to believe, songwriter Cole Porter experienced it for the first time on a luxury cruise during a stop in Martinique or a Paris dance hall frequented by Martinique imigrants. He adopted the dance’s rhythm for a big production number for Jubilee, a musical comedy which debuted in 1935. SB The show only lasted 169 performances, which reportedly didn’t upset Porter. He was, however, annoyed that people preferred “Beguine” to “Just One of Those Things,” another song from the show. He’d not anticipated “Beguine” being a hit. SB That’s not surprising. Although “Porter was a musical master and his songs are among the cream of the musical crop,” PS “Begin the Beguine,” didn’t follow conventional hit-making wisdom. Standards typically had thirty-two measures, but “Beguine” stretched to a whopping 108, making it the longest popular song ever written. SB The piece also had a lot of words, “a chord progression that goes through several modes and keys, [and] a vocal span three steps beyond the octave.” MM Xavier Cugat recorded the song and had a #13 hit with it in 1935. However, it was Artie Shaw’s version three years later which became a #1 PM hit and “one of the most popular jazz standards.” SB His recording came about when fans kept asking him to play it. He gave it more of a swing feel and debuted it at the Roseland State Ballroom. According to guitarist Al Avola, “The first time we played it we could just feel the vibrations. We knew it was going to be big.” SB When Shaw was contracted to record a swing version of Rudolf Friml’s “Indian Love Call,” he did so with the stipulation that he record “Beguine” as the B-side. His hunch paid off; the song became one of the largest-selling instrumental recordings by an American band. TY1 Shaw charted with it again in 1942 and Eddie Heywood and Frank Sinatra followed with charting versions in 1945 and 1946 respectively. PM The song has also been recorded by Sammy Davis Jr., the Andrews Sisters, the Flamingos, and Johnny Mathis. It was included in the 1946 Cole Porter biopic Night and Day. MM In a Billboard Disc Jockey poll, it was rated as the number 5 song of all-time. PM Resources: MM Max Morath (2002). The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Popular Standards. New York, NY; Penguin Putnam Inc. Page 151. PS ParlorSongs.com SB Songbook1.wordpress.com TY1 Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. Quill: New York, NY. Page 181. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 363, 476. Related Links: Last updated 10/29/2023.