Charlie Barnet Article Index for
Charlie Barnet
Articles about
Charlie Barnet
Website Links For
Charlie
 

Information About

Charlie Barnet




He was one of the first bandleaders to integrate his band; the year is variously given as 1935 or 1937 . He was an outspoken admirer of Count Basie and Duke Ellington ; Ellington once lent Barnet his charts after Barnet's had been destroyed in a fire. Throughout his career he was an opponent of syrupy arrangements.

Barnet was at the height of his popularity between 1939 and 1941 , a period that began with his hit "Cherokee." In 1944 he had another big hit with "Skyliner". In 1947 he started to switch from Swing to Bop . During his swing period his band included Buddy DeFranco , Roy Eldridge , Neal Hefti , Lena Horne , Barney Kessel , Dodo Marmorosa and Oscar Pettiford , while later versions of the band included Maynard Ferguson , Doc Severinsen , and Clark Terry .

In 1949 he retired, apparently because he had lost interest in music; he was able to retire so young because he had been born wealthy. He occasionally returned from retirement for brief tours but never returned to music full time.