Heinie Beau (March 8, 1911 – April 18, 1987) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

composer, arranger,

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

and

clarinetist This article lists notable musicians who have played the clarinet. Classical clarinetists * Laver Bariu * Ernest Ačkun * Luís Afonso * Cristiano Alves * Michel Arrignon * Dimitri Ashkenazy * Kinan Azmeh * Alexander Bader * Carl Baermann * ...

, most notable for his swing clarinet work and recordings done with

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

and

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. Biography Early life and career Nichols was born in Ogden, Utah, United States. His father was a college music profes ...

Early life

Beau was born in

Mount Calvary, Wisconsin Mount Calvary is a village in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 762 at the 2010 census, down from 956 residents at the 2000 census. History Mount Calvary's location was chosen by missi ...

. His parents and all eight siblings played various instruments. At the age of 15, while still in high school, he joined the family dance band, the Wally Beau Orchestra, which played at numerous venues in the Midwest during the 1930s and 1940s. Beau's brothers Wally and Harvey, along with sister Marie, were part of the group, along with other musicians such as Rollie Culver.

Career

Living in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, Beau worked as an arranger and musician on television, radio and recordings, including contributing classic charts to Sinatra's

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

repertoire. Beau wrote the big band arrangement of "Lean Baby", the first single Sinatra recorded for Capitol in 1953. Beau had also recorded extensively in Europe, touring areas such as London. His work can be heard on an early

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

recording of "

Would You Like to Take a Walk? "Would You Like to Take a Walk?" is a popular song with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Mort Dixon and Billy Rose. It was added to the 1930 Broadway show '' Sweet and Low'' starring James Barton, Fannie Brice and George Jessel. The song w ...

", along with Dave Barbour and his Orchestra, on

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

from 1951. In 1958, he recorded Moviesville Jazz for

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

. Beau arranged and conducted for composer Wayne Shanklin on the 1959 hit, " The Big Hurt", for

Toni Fisher Toni Fisher (born Marion Colleen Nolan; December 4, 1924 – January 11, 1999), also billed on her records as Miss Toni Fisher, was an American pop singer. She was known for her recordings of "The Big Hurt", "West of the Wall", "Maybe (He'll ...

on Signet Records, arranged and conducted on Fisher's Signet LP, and released an English version of Marguerite Monot's "

Milord ''Milord'' () is a term for an Englishman, especially a noble, traveling in Continental Europe. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It apparently derives ultimately from the English phrase "my lord", which was borr ...

" as "Your Royal Majesty". He ghost-arranged for

Axel Stordahl Axel Stordahl (August 8, 1913 – August 30, 1963) was an American arranger who was active from the late 1930s through the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his work with Frank Sinatra in the 1940s at Columbia Records. With his sophisticat ...

and

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad'' (1968), ''Batman'' (with '' Batgirl'' them ...

on Frank Sinatra recordings. In 1980, he and his wife, Grace, formed their own label, Henri Records, and recorded three albums entitled ''Hollywood Jazz Quartet'' in 1980, ''Blues for Two'' with Eddie Miller in 1982 and ''Midnight Clarinet'' with Bob Havens in 1984.

Personal life

Beau married Grace Burleton, of

Oakfield, Wisconsin Oakfield is a village in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,052 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Oakfield. History A post office called Oakfield has been in operation since 1850. The v ...

, in 1936. They had two daughters, Marguerite and Claudia. He died in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beau, Heinie Big band clarinetists Swing saxophonists American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists 1911 births 1987 deaths People from Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Musicians from Wisconsin 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians