"During my eighth summer (in 1921) my father decided I was ready to launch the career he never had. He brought me to an audition for a kiddie revue, and I got a part with a low-budget operation…six or seven other kids and a mature woman, an old actress who played a schoolmarm with us. And I was on the road."

It was a road Woody Herman never stopped travelling until a few months before his death in October 1987. Woody's story is really the story of the Big Band era in America. Herman's Herd played all the great show palaces in all the great cities; it had a regular radio show, included many of the great jazz musicians of its time and commissioned dozens of songs that became this nation's standards.

Before Woody died, he owed thousands of dollars in back taxes. When news of this was broadcast, donations by the hundreds came is, allowing him to save his house and live his last days in peace. But while the ending of Woody's tale is a moving one, most of the rest of this book is pure delight. His forty-six-year marriage was a great romance and a source of strength. He knew almost every great jazz musician, almost every great songwriter and arranger, and all are here, as seen by him or as they saw him. To anyone who has loved What's New? or Stars Fell on Alabama, or for anyone who has heard of the "big bands" but doesn't really know what the term represents, this book is essential reading: indeed, it is essential for anyone who is interested in the culture of the recent American past.

"This breezy…memoir from one of America's great bandleaders is a credible piece of jazz history…[It] gives us a feel for Woody Herman, who until his death at the age of 74…gave us five decades of outstanding music…The story of the clarinettist and saxophonist, joyful at points, ultimately borders on the horrific…Like the stories of many fallen celebrities, Herman's tale is filled with naivete, ignorance, and ironic twists…reminiscences from Herman's friends, associates and (other) musicians dramatically strengthen the book." - Jon W. Poses, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

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