Johnny Best

b. John McClanian Greatest Jnr., 20 Oct 1913, Shelby, NEW YORK, USA, d. 19 Sept 2003, La Jolla, California, USA. Although he 1st learned to try out piano, by the beginning of his teenage years Greatest had turned to trumpet. He quickly became extremely efficient and was shortly dealing with dance rings and following that joined many big rings of the golf swing era. He used Les Dark brown, Charlie Barnet, Artie Shaw and acquired an extended spell with Glenn Miller. During armed forces service in Globe Battle II he is at Shaw’s and Sam Donahue’s US Navy rings. After the battle he used Benny Goodman and Bob Crosby, with whom he briefly proved helpful in the first 40s. Through the past due 40s and in to the 50s he profitably blended work in studio room rings with name music group travels and revivals, including Crosby, Billy May and, some years afterwards, Ray Conniff. This activity continuing in to the 80s when he caused Crosby at Disneyland (1980), a Miller-band reunion (1984) and Crosby once again (1985). Greatest was originally inspired by Louis Armstrong, as had been a lot of trumpeters of his era. He progressed into a triple-threat participant, merging sterling section use disciplined and motivating lead trumpet playing, and with unique, effective soloing. His popularity and his documented legacy had been both rather significantly less than he so obviously deserved.