When Swing Was the Thing: Personality Profiles of the Big Band Era

Over the years John Tumpak developed personal associations with many bandleaders, musicians, vocalists, arrangers, and contributors who participated in the Big Band Era. The unique stories of these and other Era personalities are told in his book, When Swing Was the Thing: Personality Profiles of the Big Band Era, which provides detailed insight into their personal and professional lives and the cultural history of the time. Forty of the publications forty-seven chapters are based on interviews Tumpak conducted with the key players or their immediate family members. Major historic events in the careers of Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller are also included. There are 114 vintage photos, many of which were provided by individuals featured in the book and appear in print for the first time. When Swing Was the Thing provides a descriptive and visual return to the days of that unique period from the mid 1930s to the mid 1940s when fifteen piece swing bands dominated American entertainment, filling ballrooms to capacity, broadcasting on the radio, appearing in the movies, and bringing international fame to the high profile bandleaders.