Bobby Hackett was a cornet, trumpet and guitar player born on January 31, 1915 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a disciple of Bix Beiderbecke and played with the bands of both Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller during the swing era.

When Hackett was only 23 years old Benny Goodman hired him to recreate Beiderbecke’s solo on the tune I’m Coming Virginia during the “history of jazz” segment at the famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. After that performance Hackett played regularly with the Vic Schoen Orchestra and played on the soundtrack of the Fred Astaire movie “Second Chorus,” in which Astaire and Burgess Meredith play friendly rival big band trumpet players.

After a short-lived attempt at leading his own big band, Bobby Hackett played with the Horace Heidt band before joining Glenn Miller. With Miller he not only played trumpet, but also guitar after dental surgery limited his trumpet playing ability for a time. Hackett can be heard as the trumpet soloist on Glenn Miller’s 1941 recording of String of Pearls. Louis Armstrong invited Hackett to play with him on his 1947 Town Hall concert in New York City.

In the 1950s Bobby Hackett he appeared as a regular on Martha Wright’s Packard Showroom television show. He also recorded seven albums as cornet soloist with the Jackie Gleason Orchestra during the decade, all of which were certified gold. He also recorded and toured with Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Jack Teagarden and Eddie Condon. Late in his career, Bobby Hackett performed with both vocalist Teresa Brewer and Dizzy Gillespie. Hackett passed away in the summer of 1976 from a heart attack at the age of 61.

Here is a link to a television performance by the Bobby Hackett Sextet in 1962:

"DEED I DO"