https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS0JOTmiieo&t=309s

When thinking of Sing, Sing, Sing, the first thing that comes to mind is the Benny Goodman version from his 1938 Carnegie Hall performance of the song, which is around 12 minutes long and includes many unplanned improvisations. For a while, I thought Benny was the composer of the song, but through research I have learned that this song has a very rich history. The song and its lyrics were written by Louis Prima in 1936, picked up by Benny Goodman and his band in 1937, and then became popular through a performance by Benny’s badn in 1938. This is a look at the history that led up to this being one of the most recognizable swing songs of the time period.

Louis Prima was born in December 1907 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a very musical family. His mother was a performer and encouraged all of her children to play instruments. Louis started out taking violin lessons at the age of 7, and played for years before switching to the trumpet as a teenager. Inspired by the black jazz musicians in New Orleans, Louis and his brother started playing in bands at clubs as he became an older teenager. (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026) In the early 1930s, Louis moved to New York City like many great musicians did during the times of the Great Depression. After making a name for himself in the city, he started a group called Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang. (dailymotion, 2025) This group recorded a lot of music that Louis wrote, and he became a well known name in the jazz world for his upbeat performances and ability to sing as well. During this time, he wrote the original version of “Sing, Sing, Sing”, and recorded it with his band on February 28th, 1936 (Coda Music, 2026) It was well liked, but not nearly as popular as the song would become in the coming years. Throughout his career, Louis was also very proud of his Italian heritage, which became an important part of his identity as an entertainer.

Benny Goodman was born in May 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. Like Louis, Benny also started learning music early, as he was sent to take lessons along with his siblings at the age of 10. At 16, he was hired to move to Los Angeles to play professionally in the Ben Pollack Band. Just like many great musicians during the Great Depression, Benny quit the Los Angeles based band to move to New York City to record and play in radio shows in the late 1920s. He led his first band in 1934, playing music inspired by southern jazz with more structure and less improvisation. Benny was also famously anti-racist, allowing a black musician, Teddy Wilson, to join the Benny Goodman Trio to play at the Congress Hotel in 1935. (“Benny Goodman Biography,” n.d.) Throughout this time, Benny became known as the “King of Swing” because of his role in bringing swing music into popular culture. Starting with his performance in August 1935 at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, Benny and his band became the face of the swing music era in the United States.

The first recording of “Sing, Sing, Sing” was performed by Louis Prima and his New Orleans band, recorded on February 28th, 1936. It was only two minutes and fifty two seconds long. This version also includes Louis Prima singing his own original lyrics over the melody, with trumpet breaks inbetween. It starts out with a lively introduction of the main theme of the song, with all the instruments in the band playing right off the bat. When Louis is singing, the rest of the band softens, and you can hear the drums, double bass, and low brass continuing as Louis sings his lyrics. The drums are playing a consistent rhythm throughout the song, and they are upbeat and lively, but sound almost calm compared to the Benny Goodman version of the song. When Louis isn’t singing, the trumpet is the instrument leading the band, with the drums and low brass present but definitely not the focal point of the piece. Listening to this piece and the 1937 version of “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman, it is clear where the inspiration comes from, but there were many changes made to the original to achieve Benny’s version. Benny Goodman picked up the song and added it to his band’s repertoire pretty quickly after it was released. It was arranged for Benny’s band by his arranger Jimmy Mundy, and added to their regular set list in 1936. Then, from the starting point that Jimmy Mundy set, Benny’s band would play and improvise with each performance, which eventually lead to the eight minutes and forty-three seconds version that Benny and his band would record on July 6, 1937. This was more than double the industry standard of three minute songs, as songs were usually limited to three minutes because the 78-rpm disc that was standard at the time could only hold about three minutes of music per side. (Coda Music, 2026)

This second recorded version of the song is instrumental only, and as a result much more focused on the band than Louis’s version. One of the biggest differences is the drums. Gene Krupa’s drumming is a major part of this version of the arrangement, especially the repeated rhythm that drives the song in a much more prominent way. The drums are reminiscent of the style of jungle music that Duke Ellington made popular just a few years prior. This recording is also generally alot faster in tempo than Louis’s version. While Louis’s version of the song had around three different melodic motifs, this version has around six melodic motifs with drum breaks inbetween, and includes improvisation sections, lead by clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet. There is also a build up to a grand ending in this version. The Louis Prima version of Sing Sing Sing feels like a jovial song made for listening, while the Benny Goodman version feels like a song made for dancing.

The 1938 Carnegie Hall recording of the performance is the version that cemented Benny Goodman as the King of Swing to the public, and became the most well known recording of “Sing Sing, Sing”. This whole performance is referred to as the most "the single most important jazz concert in history" by Bruce Eder, a NYC journalist. (Starostin, 2025) On January 16, 1938, the first jazz concert to take place in a concert hall took place, and among many other very influential jazz bands at the time, Benny Goodman and his band performed. The success of this concert helped demonstrate that swing, and jazz as a whole, could be taken seriously as popular music. (Tackley, 1998) 

The Carnegie Hall version of “Sing, Sing, Sing” is very similar to the recorded version in the beginning. It has a similar structure, from drum solo introduction to rhythm and melodic motifs. Where both recordings differ is improvisation. The Carnegie Hall version of this song includes many more sections of improvisation, from the same group of instruments as before, and adding more instruments like piano. It is also slightly slower than the 1937 version of the song, while still being faster than the 1936 Louis Prima version of the song. The years of 1936–1938 were not great for the United States. The Great Depression was still going on, as it lasted from 1929–1939. During this time, many people were not able to make enough money to support themselves, much less their families. Many musicians moved to New York City to find whatever work they could as performers and recording artists. The radio and record sales durning this time helped musicians reach much larger audiences than before, and as a result jazz and swing music in particular became increasingly popular throughout the country. For many Americans, swing music and dancing provided a form of escape from the financial struggles of everyday life.

There was also a lot of political unrest around the world, as several events during these years would eventually lead up to the start of World War II in 1939. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were expanding their power in Germany, while the Spanish Civil War was taking place from 1936–1939. Japan was also expanding its military operations in Asia. Although the United States would not enter World War II until 1941, these events contributed to an uncertain political climate around the world. Segregation was still alive and well throughout the United States, as well. This lead to segregated bands, and even though jazz comes from Black musical traditions, jazz was often not considered a legitimate form of music until white musicians played it. This made Benny Goodman’s decision to perform with Black musicians, including pianist Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton, especially unique. Benny allowing integrated bands to perform in places like Carnegie Hall and the Congress Hotel helped bring both swing music and black musicians into a prestigious concert venue, showing that both could be taken seriously. These events reflect how swing music was not only an important form of entertainment but also part of the larger cultural changes taking place in the United States during the late 1930s. I think that the most interesting part of the history of “Sing, Sing, Sing” is how different the song became through years without losing its original identity. Louis’s version is short, lyrical, and comparatively relaxed, while Goodman’s version turns the same musical idea into an extended instrumental performance that is more technically complex and rhythmically interesting.

The 1937 recording establishes the arrangement, and the 1938 Carnegie Hall version shows how much the musicians could do with it in a live setting. Each version reflects a different side of swing music, from its roots in vocal jazz to its development as a style built around big bands, improvisation, and performance. The story of “Sing, Sing, Sing” is an amazing example of how music can change through the musicians who perform it and the context in which it is heard. Louis Prima deserves recognition for writing the original song, while Benny Goodman and his big band deserve recognition for the work they did to make it more technically complex and make it a important part of jazz history. The Carnegie Hall performance brought together the energy of swing, the individuality of jazz improvisation, and the atmosphere of a major concert. More than just a popular song from the 1930s, “Sing, Sing, Sing” shows how swing music became an important part of American popular culture.

References

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History of the song: “Sing, Sing, Sing.” (2020, July 17). Swing City Radio.

https://www.swingcityradio.com/2020/07/history-of-song-sing-sing-sing.html

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Tackley, C. (2021, October 14). Carnegie Hall jazz concert (album). Library of Congress.

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