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Benny Goodman and the Clarinet 1909-1986 (12 font, 1.5 spacing) Benjamin David Goodman was born to a large, but poverty stricken family on May, 30th, 1909. He was one of twelve children of an immigrant tailor who had fled anti-Semitism in Russia. He first picked up a clarinet at the Kehelah Jacob synagogue, where he got his first training. He then took lessons for two years from classically trained clarinetist, Franz Schoepp. Goodman made his professional debut in 1921 at the Central Park Theater in Chicago with an imitation of Ted Lewis. After entering Harrison High School in 1922, he played occasionally with the so-called Austin High School Gang (Bud Freeman, Jimmy McPartland, Frank Teschemacher, Dave Tough, and others), who modeled their music after the New Orleans Rhythm Kings; the clarinetist with the Rhythm Kings, Leon Roppolo, was an early influence on Goodman. When his