Hal Kemp

James Hal Kemp (March 27, 1904 – December 21, 1940) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger.

Biography Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Alabama. He formed his first band in high school, and by the age of 19 led a University of North Carolina band, the Carolina Club Orchestra. They sailed to England, where they made their first recordings in London, and on their return journey made the acquaintance of the Prince of Wales, who performed with them. As a result, the band was mentioned in US press reports, and on their return received several offers of contracts. In 1927, Kemp formed his own orchestra, which at various times featured Skinnay Ennis, Bunny Berigan, and John Scott Trotter, and the band became a popular jazz orchestra in the late 1920s.

In the 1930s, with the economic and social challenges of the Great Depression, Kemp's band became better known for more soothing "sweet" dance music. From 1932 to 1934, they performed at the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago, and appeared regularly on radio broadcasts. They became well-known nationally, and secured a contract with Brunswick Records. Most of the vocals on their recordings were by Skinnay Ennis, whose vocal style and the arrangements by Trotter, which featured staccato triplets by the trumpeters and clarinets played through megaphones, gave Kemp's records a distinctive sound. From 1937, Kemp recorded for Victor Records. Kemp married again on January 13, 1939, to New York Society debutante Martha Stephenson, in Pittsburgh.