Musician and bandleader, Harry James was an instrumentalist of the swing era. He
was one of the most popular bandleaders of the first half of the 1940s, and he
continued  to lead his band until just before his death, 40 years later. His was the
first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. He wanted to change Sinatra’s name to ‘Frankie Satin’ but Sinatra refused. His later band included
drummer Buddy Rich. Harry James was second only to Glenn Miller as the most successful recording artist of 1942.  

Harry James and his Orchestra on The Ed Sullivan show

 
Frank Sinatra, right, with Harry James and his orchestra in 1939

     
                                             Glenn Miller

The Glenn Miller recording of CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO was no.1 for
nine weeks on the Billboard Best Sellers chart. It became the first record
to be certified a gold disc for sales of 1,200,000. In 1996, the recording
was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.