As a teenager, Hal McIntyre, led his own small group which played a lot of local gigs. During these early years he managed to build up his reputation as a good saxophonist and clarinetist.
In 1935, Benny Goodman offered him a temporary spot in his band playing alto sax. The bad news was that it only lasted for ten days. The good news was that it put Hal on the radar of Glenn Miller, who was then in the process of putting together an orchestra.
McIntyre was a founding member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, where he played from 1937 to 1941. Miller eventually encouraged McIntyre to start his own group again and even offered to bankroll the venture to get the new band off the ground. In 1941, The Hal McIntyre Orchestra was formed and began to play dates.
Throughout the war years, McIntyre toured the major ballrooms of the U.S. and also played overseas to entertain the troops. His band showcased some very good vocalists including Gloria Van, Ruth Gaylor, and Al Nobel. McIntyre also featured a top rate bassist named Eddie Safranski and saxophonists Dave Matthews and Allen Eager. The band itself never came close to the amount of success that Miller's band achieved, but did manage to leave a memorable mark on the era.
Hal McIntyre's Orchestra played well into the 1950's. Sadly, McIntyre was severely injured in an apartment fire in 1959, and died at a hospital a few days later cutting his career short.
Listen to: "Some Sunday Morning" by Hal McIntyre from 1945.
You can hear the music of Hal McIntyre right here on Swing City Radio.
