This collection consists of the original orchestral scores and sheet music for big band leader Harry James' band.

Harry Haag James (1916-1983) was born on March 16, 1916, in Albany, Georgia. His father was a circus band master and his mother was a horse rider and trapeze artist. Harry's first public performances were at the age of three as a drummer, and by the age of 12 he led his father's band in performances. In 1936, James joined Benny Goodman's band where he was a featured player. He left three years later at the age of 23 to form his own band. His career as a trumpeter and big band leader spanned six decades and included collaborations with Frank Sinatra, Betty Grable, Buddy Rich, Sam Donahue, Juan Tizol, Louie Bellson, Neal Hefti, Ernie Wilkins, and Rob Turk. He appeared in a number of films, with and without his band and trumpet. He was also well-known for his third marriage to Betty Grable. James died in Las Vegas on July 5, 1983.

102.188 Linear Feet 82 boxes

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

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