The accomplishments of seminal jazz trumpeter Bernard 'Bunny' Berigan have secured his place in the annals of American musical history. In his short lifetime, Berigan performed on more than six hundred recordings and achieved international as well as national success.He served as a direct link between Louis Armstrong and those who developed from his roots - Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and others. Berigan and his soaring trumpet catapulted the Benny Goodman band, along with the rest of the country, into the swing era and assured Goodman's coronation as the 'King of Swing.' Berigan's uninhibited jazz style inspired and dominated every group with which he played, including the bands of Hal Kemp, Paul Whiteman and Tommy Dorsey. His great technical skills and instant reading ability made him a coveted studio player for such vocalists as Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Mildred Bailey and Lee Wiley. During his remarkable career Berigan not only played with the music industry's giants, but became one as well.

Robert Dupuis's Bunny Berigan is the first comprehensive biography of this jazz great. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with Berigan's family, friends and colleagues, Dupuis presents a fascinating account of Berigan's fast-paced career and personal life.

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