Artie Shaw

“The King of the Clarinet” 

Arthur Jacob Arshawsky was born May 23, 1910 in New York City, NY. The famous “King of the Clarinet” was widely known for being an American composer, and bandleader, but he was also a fiction and non-fiction writer during his time. He served in the US Navy from 1942 to 1944 leading a morale-building band throughout the South Pacific for the troops during World War II. Throughout his life he was married 8 times and self-proclaims that he was a difficult man to be around. Artie Shaw retired from music completely by 1954 to pursue his writing career. Artie Shaw passed away December 30, 2004.