Joe Haymes

Joe Haymes is a completely forgotten name yet during the swing era he was one of the more talented arrangers. Unfortunately he was not much of a businessman and tended to be passive so two potentially impressive big bands that he started were taken over by stronger personalities. Haymes, who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, began his performing career quite colorfully, working with a travelling circus as a trapeze artist (!) and playing bass drum with the circus band. He was self-taught as a pianist and arranger, led and arranged for a local dance orchestra and landed his fir...