Bunny berigan biography
Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, – June 2, ) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era....
Full name, Bernard Roland Berigan; born November 2, , in Hilbert, Wis.; died of complications resulting from chronic alcoholism, June 2, ; son of William (a candy and tobacco route salesman) and Mary "Mayme" (a musician and housewife; maiden name, Schlitzberg) Berigan; married Donna McArthur (a dancer and housewife), May 25, ; children: Patricia (born July 23, ), Joyce (born April 22, ).
Berigan began as a fair-haired, corn-fed lad from Wisconsin, preternaturally talented and instinctively musical.
Education: Attended public schools (to approximately 10th grade) in Fox Lake and Madison, Wis.
Bunny Berigan was the trumpet phenomenon as he blazed his way across New York's Depression-wracked music scene. He was the inspiration for three of CBS Radio's popular small groups; the nucleus of innumerable jazz record sessions; the heart and soul of the combo that captivated patrons at the Famous Door and other 52nd Street (Swing Street) night spots.
Often playing his trumpet for seventy hours a week, Berigan literally rushed from studio to studio, fawned upon by listeners, coveted by producers, re