Born November 2, jazz genius Bunny Berrigan (1908-1942), very much not to be confused with Bunny Breckinridge. Here on Travalanche, we have many bunnies.
Singer and horn player Berrigan head up his own bands in his last years, but had previously played with the orchestras of Hal Kemp, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Abe Lyman, Glenn Miller, Rudy Vallee, and Paul Whiteman. He was a regular on the CBS radio show Saturday Night Swing Club in 1936 and 1937, appearing on the program as an occasion guest through the rest of the decade, which surely fueled the fortunes of his most successful single "I Can't Get Started" (1937). He's also known for writing the tunes "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues", both in 1935.
Originally from Wisconsin, Berrigan had studied both violin and trumpet in his youth. His musical hero was Louis Armstrong. Sadly, Berrigan had a serious drinking problem, exacerbated by the pressures of running his own orchestra. He died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 33.
For more on show business history please see No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.
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