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American jazz clarinetist and bandleader known as the 'King of Swing', who popularized jazz for mainstream audiences and broke racial barriers in music.Goodman rose from poverty in Chicago to become a defining figure of the Swing Era. His 1935 Palomar Ballroom concert ignited the swing craze, and his racially integrated quartet pioneered jazz integration. Landmark 1938 Carnegie Hall performance cemented jazz as art music.

• Born to poor Jewish immigrants in Chicago, Goodman learned clarinet at 10 through free lessons at a synagogue, practicing obsessively in a coal bin.
• His band's 1935 performance at Los Angeles' Palomar Ballroom unexpectedly triggered frenzied dancing, marking the explosive start of the Swing Era and making him an overnight sensation.
• Defied segregation norms by hiring Black musicians Teddy Wilson (piano) and Lionel Hampton (vibraphone) for his quartet, creating the first prominent racially integrated jazz group.
• Perfectionism earned him the nickname 'The Ray' (short for 'Ray of Sunshine') among musicians due to his demanding rehearsals and stern stage glares during performances.
• His 1938 Carnegie Hall concert – the first jazz performance in the venue – featured guests from Duke Ellington's orchestra and was recorded without his knowledge, later becoming a legendary album.
• Suffered severe sciatica from a fall in 1939, leading to risky spinal surgery that nearly paralyzed him, though he resumed performing within a year.
• Died of cardiac arrest at 77 while practicing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, hours before a scheduled performance.