Irving "Babe" Russin (June 18, 1911 – August 4, 1984) was an American

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

player. Born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Russin played with some of the best known

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 m ...

bands of the 1930s and 1940s, including

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

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 ...

and

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forc ...

. He led his own band briefly in the early 1940s. He solos in the recording the Glenn Miller band made of

Jerry Gray Jerry Don Gray (born December 16, 1962) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Gray played college footbal ...

's composition, " A String of Pearls" for

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is a record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of kids' music, blues and jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. It was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced RCA Victor subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebird became known ...

in 1941. In 1950, Russin was credited as a musician with the backup band on two

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

songs for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

, "Should I?" and "You Do Something To Me". He co-wrote the instrumental "All the Things You Ain't" with

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peop ...

which was released as a V-Disc 78 single, No. 391B, in March, 1945. He appeared briefly in the Universal-International movie '' The Glenn Miller Story'' (1954). Russin plays on the soundtrack to the Warner Bros. movie '' A Star Is Born'' (1954), playing "Cheating on Me" with a small group.See liner notes to ''Judy Garland A Star is Born'' Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music CK 65965 released 2004, produced by Didier C. Deutsch He also appeared in the Universal-International movie '' The Benny Goodman Story'' (1956).

Discography

With Jack Hoffman *"Stop the Music", with Jack Hoffman 1948 With

Georgie Auld Georgie Auld (May 19, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Early years Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1929. Before the family left Canada, Au ...

*''

In the Land of Hi-Fi with Georgie Auld and His Orchestra ''In the Land of Hi-Fi with Georgie Auld and His Orchestra'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist and bandleader Georgie Auld featuring tracks recorded in 1955 and released on the EmArcy label.Sammy Davis Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

*''

It's All Over but the Swingin' ''It's All Over but the Swingin'' is a 1957 album by Sammy Davis Jr., arranged by Jack Pleis and Morty Stevens. Track listing # "Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 4:43 # " But Not for Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Ge ...

'' (Decca, 1957)

References

External links

Babe Russin recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Russin, Babe 1911 births 1984 deaths American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Musicians from Pittsburgh 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Glenn Miller Orchestra members