During those years, all sax men copied Tram. They knew all of his choruses from his recordings and when he appeared in person, they'd flock to hear him play. -From the Foreword by "Rosy" McHargue Frank was an American Music Legend. His life was brief, 1901-1956, but he left us a legacy of his phonograph records. When Jimmy Dorsey joined the Ray Miller Orchestra, he was asked to play like Tram. Lester Young carried Tram's recordings in his suitcase. "Toots" Mondello said that a sax man wasn't judged complete until he mastered Trumbauer's solo on "Singin' The Blues." Frank's daughter, Lynne, made available his private papers, diaries, letters, and interviews, resulting in a complete accounting of his life. Frank's remarks were culled from these sources and properly placed to give the readers a continual sense of Tram commenting as they turn the pages. Tram's complete story is presented: The divided love between music and aviation; his years with Paul Whiteman; his friends, Zentner, Bing, Hoagy, and Bix.

Author Biography

Philip R. Evans is a renowned researcher, writer, and consultant of the music and musicians of the bygone era. He co-authored Al Jolson (Scarecrow, 1984) with Larry Kiner and Philip R. Evans, as well as The Red Nichols Story (Scarecrow, 1997) with Stan & Steve Hester, and Linda Evans. Larry F. Kiner compiled discographies since the 1940s, with special emphasis on the personalities of the pre- 1950 era and some of the non-jazz orchestras. Among his books are discographies on Nelson Eddy (Scarecrow, 1992), and Al Jolson (Scarecrow, 1984).