Bobby Hackett

Robert Leo "Bobby" Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was an US jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late thirties and early forties.

Hackett was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He made his name as a follower of the legendary cornet player Bix Beiderbecke: Benny Goodman hired him to recreate Bix's famous "I'm Coming Virginia" solo at his (Goodman's) 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. In the late 1930s Hackett played lead trumpet in the Vic Schoen Orchestra which backed the Andrews Sisters. Bobby Hackett can be heard on the soundtrack to the 1940 Fred Astaire movie Second Chorus. In 1939 the talent agency MCA asked Bobby Hackett to form a big band with their backing. Unfortunately the band failed and Hackett was in substantial debt to MCA after it folded. Bobby Hackett joined the bands of Horace Heidt and then Glenn Miller to pay down this debt.
Sometime in the 1930s, Bobby Hackett married Edna Hackett. He had two children with her, Barbra Hackett(†) and Ernie Hackett.

To make matters worse, his lip was in bad shape after dental surgery, making it difficult for him to play the trumpet or cornet. Glenn Miller came to Hackett's rescue, offering him a job as a guitarist with the Miller Band. "When I joined the band and I was making good money at last, [...] [jazz critics] accused me of selling out. Hell I wasn't selling out, I was selling in! It's funny, isn't it, how you go right into the wastebasket with some critics the minute you become successful". Despite his lip problems, Hackett could still play occasional short solos, and he can be heard playing a famous one with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on "A String of Pearls. A dream come true for Hackett was his inclusion in Louis Armstrong's 1947 Town Hall Jazz Concert. During the 1950s, he made a series of albums of ballads with a full string orchestra, produced by Jackie Gleason, exhibiting a dreamy, vibrato-free sound.

In 1954, Hackett appeared as a regular on the short-lived ABC variety show, The Martha Wright Show, also known as The Packard Showroom. In 1965, he toured with singer Tony Bennett. In 1966 and 1967 Hackett accompanied Bennett on two European tours. In the early 1970s, Hackett performed separately with Dizzy Gillespie and Teresa Brewer. In his later years, he continued to perform in a dixieland style even as trends in jazz changed.
Hackett was a smoker. His smoking often led to health problems. A day after checking out of the hospital and playing his final show, Bobby Hackett died June 7, 1976 from a heart attack.



Bobby Hackett (31 de enero de 1915 – 7 de junio de 1976) fue un músico de jazz estadounidense, instrumentista de trompeta, corneta y guitarra, y que trabajó con las bandas de Glenn Miller y Benny Goodman a finales de la década de 1930 e inicios de la de 1940.

Su verdadero nombre era Robert Leo Hackett, y nació en Providence (Rhode Island).
Hackett se dio a conocer siendo un seguidor del legendario cornetista Bix Beiderbecke, contratándole Benny Goodman para recrear el famoso solo de Bix titulado "I'm Coming Virginia" en el concierto dado por Goodman en 1938 en el Carnegie Hall.1 En los últimos años treinta era primer trompetista de la Orquesta de Vic Schoen, la cual trabajaba con The Andrews Sisters.
En 1939 la agencia de talentos Music Corporation of America pidió a Bobby Hackett que formara una big band con su respaldo. Desafortunadamente la banda no tuvo éxito, y Hackett quedó con una sustancial deuda contraída con MCA. Para poder pagar esa deuda Bobby Hackett hubo de sumarse a las bandas de Horace Heidt y de Glenn Miller.

Empeorando más las cosas, tras sufrir cirugía dental Hackett quedó con secuelas en un labio que le impedían tocar la trompeta y la corneta. Glenn Miller le ofreció trabajo como guitarrista en su banda. A pesar de estos problemas, Hackett todavía podía tocar breves solos, siendo uno de ellos el que llevó a cabo con la Orquesta de Glenn Miller en "A String of Pearls."
En 1947 se cumplió uno de los grandes deseos de Hackett al formar parte del Town Hall Jazz Concert de Louis Armstrong.3 En la década de 1950 grabó una serie de álbumes de baladas acompañando a una orquesta de cuerda bajo producción de Jackie Gleason. En 1965 Bobby Hackett hizo una gira con el cantante Tony Bennett, y en 1966 y 1967 le acompañó Hackett en dos giras llevadas a cabo por Europa. A principios de los años setenta hizo trabajos con Dizzy Gillespie y con Teresa Brewer.
Hackett estuvo casado con Edna Hackett desde una fecha no conocida hasta el momento de su muerte. La pareja tuvo dos hijos: Barbra Hackett y Ernie Hackett.

Bobby Hackett era un gran fumador, y falleció a causa de un infarto agudo de miocardio ocurrido en 1976 encontrándose en Chatham, Massachusetts. Fue enterrado en el Cementerio Seaside de Chatham.