Benny Goodman

Clarinetist and Band Leader

Any artist’s Carnegie Hall debut is an auspicious occasion. In Benny Goodman’s case, January 16, 1938, was not only the debut of a major star, but it also marked the first time people sat in a concert hall to hear swing music rather than dance to it. Moreover, the Goodman band was one of the first racially integrated groups to perform in front of a paying audience. Following this watershed moment, Goodman returned to Carnegie Hall more than two dozen times, his final concerts taking place on June 25, 1982. Even following his death in 1986, however, Goodman influenced the history of the Hall. The donation of one of Goodman’s clarinets to the Carnegie Hall Archives in 1991 was the trigger for the creation of the Rose Museum.

“
That night at Carnegie Hall was a great experience. Personally, it was the thrill of my life to walk out on that stage with people just hemming the band in and hear the greeting the guys got.
— BENNY GOODMAN

From the Archives

A man peruses the poster for Benny Goodman's concert outside Carnegie Hall, 1938
Three-sheet poster for the famous 1938 concert (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)
Benny Goodman and his orchestra on stage at Carnegie Hall, 1938
Goodman on stage at Carnegie Hall, 1938 (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)
Program for Benny Goodman’s concert with Symphony of the Air, 1955
Program for Goodman’s concert with Symphony of the Air, 1955 (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)
Benny Goodman’s clarinet on display in the Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall
Goodman’s clarinet on display in the Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall (Photo by Jennifer Taylor)

Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall’s performance history database covers more than 50,000 concerts and events that occurred at Carnegie Hall from its opening in 1891 to the present. Explore events related to Benny Goodman (these links will open in a new tab with the performance history search tools):

Listen to Benny Goodman

Hear the virtuosity, irresistible swing, and versatility of clarinetist-bandleader Benny Goodman. He debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1938 and returned more than two dozen times. This playlist includes selections from the 1938 concert and other Goodman classics. Benny Goodman is a Carnegie Hall icon—listen to hear why. Listen on Apple Music and Spotify.

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