Charles Daly Barnet (1913-1991) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His major recordings were "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", and "Southland Shuffle". His parents divorced when he was two, and he was raised by his mother and her grandparents. He learned to play piano and saxophone as a child. He often left school to listen to music and to try to gain work as a musician. Although he began his recording career in October, 1933, Charlie Barnet was at the height of his popularity between 1939 and 1941, a period that began with his hit version of "Cherokee", written by Ray Noble and arranged by Billy May. In 1944, Barnet had another big hit with "Skyliner". In 1947, he started to switch from swing music to bebop. During his swing period his band included Buddy DeFranco, Roy Eldridge, Neal Hefti, Lena Horne, Barney Kessel, Dodo Marmorosa, Oscar Pettiford, and Art House, while later versions of the band included Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, and Clark Terry. Trumpeter Billy May was an arranger in the Charlie Barnet Orchestra before he joined Glenn Miller in 1940. He was one of the first bandleaders to integrate his band; the year is variously given as 1935 or 1937. In 1949 he retired, apparently because he had lost interest in music. He occasionally returned from retirement for brief tours but never returned to music full time. This great performance was recorded early in his career, in 1934. The vocal is credited to Chick Bullock.
