Centenary Celebration: Bunny Berigan
By Jim Linz
Rowland Bernard “Bunny” Berigan (November 2, 1908-June 2, 1942) was a virtuoso jazz trumpeter who performed with some of the great sweet and swing bands of the 1930s .
Berigan was born in Hilbert, Wisconsin and raised in Fox Lake, Wisconsin. He began playing violin and trumpet at an early age and was performing in local bands while still in his teens. His national exposure began around 1928, when he auditioned for and was eventually hired by Hal Kemp. Berigan recorded his first trumpet solo with Kemp’s orchestra in 1930 and toured Europe with the band later that same year.
Berigan made enough of a name for himself with Kemp’s Orchestra that he became a sought-after studio musician. Between 1931 and 1935 he recorded with the Fred Rich, Freddie Martin, Ben Selvin, Paul Whiteman, Abe Lyman, Dorsey Brothers, and Glenn Miller orchestras.
When Benny Goodman put together a new band, he hired Berigan. Berigan was able to convince Gene Krupa to forget past differences and return to Goodman’s employ. Berigan was with Goodman’s orchestra at Los Angeles’ Palomar Ballroom in what is often referred to as the start of the swing era.
After a short stint with Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra, Berigan, in 1937, formed his own band. The band’s first recording “I Can't Get Started” became Berigan’s signature tune. Berigan’s band lasted about 3 years. Although musically successful, the band, and Berigan, struggled financially.
Berigan filed for bankruptcy in 1940, and rejoined Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra. He soon left Dorsey a second time to form his own group. The stress from his financial woes and one-night stands with his small group took its toll on Berigan. Already a heavy drinker, Berigan’s health began to fail and he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Although told to stop drinking and to stop playing the trumpet, he did neither.
On May 30, 1942, at the age of 34, Bunny Berigan suffered a massive hemorrhage and died 2 days later.
To see a clip of Bunny Berigan singing and playing with the Fred Rich Orchestra go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDIY7wp7CBQ
This article originally appeared in Trans-Lux volume 26, number 2, Spring 2008.
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Created Thursday, November 27, 2008; Modified Thursday, November 27, 2008.
