Hal McIntyre

Hal McIntyre was a big band clarinettist and alto saxophonist with an exuberant personality. He briefly, and unsuccessfully, led an octet in 1935 but was eventually signed by Glenn Miller who was impressed with the quality of his musicianship. Hal became one of the original members of the Miller orchestra and remained until 1941. When he re-formed his own outfit in October of that year, he did so with Miller's financial assistance and with an excellent crew that included the great Eddie Safranski on bass, saxophonist Allen Eager and Joe Weidman on trumpet. The arrangements were by Dave Matthews and Howard Gibeling, both of whom were devotees of the great Duke Ellington. Consequently, the style of the McIntyre band was heavily Duke-inspired and always very swinging. The band had two theme songs: "Moon Mist" and "Ecstasy". The vocals were handled by Ruth Gaylor and, later, ex-Goodman girl Helen Ward. Hal himself tried hard to emulate the style of Johnny Hodges on his alto sax, particularly for the slower ballads. The band was well exposed on radio and played at some of the top venues, including the Glen Island Casino and the Hollywood Palladium. It was twice voted by Billboard Magazine as the most promising orchestra of the year (1942 and 1943). In May 1945, McIntyre became the first bandleader to take his entire outfit on an extended overseas tour to provide entertainment for service personnel abroad under the USO umbrella. The band survived well into the 1950's, working primarily in the South and on the East Coast. Hal himself settled in California after a marital split-up. Just prior to an engagement in Las Vegas in May 1959, he suffered severe burns from a fire in the bedroom of his Los Angeles apartment, apparently caused by a discarded cigarette. He died in hospital several days later, aged just 44.