List of 1940s down beat poll winners
This is a list of Down Beat magazine poll winners (readers and critics) in the 1940s .
Back then there were only reader polls on Down Beat . King of Corn ironically stands for cheesy, sentimental music - in relation to Spike Jones for parodic talent.
1940
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Glenn Miller
- Swing Band: Benny Goodman
- King of Corn: Guy Lombardo
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Little combo: Benny Goodman sextet
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Eddie Miller
- Trumpet: Ziggy Elman
- Trumpet: Jack Jenney
- Clarinet: Irving Fazola
- Drums: Ray Bauduc
- Bass: Bob Haggart
- Guitar: Benny Heller
- Piano: Bob Zurke
- Arranger: Fletcher Henderson
- Male vocal artist: Bing Crosby
- Female vocal artist: Helen O'Connell
1941
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Glenn Miller
- Swing Band: Benny Goodman
- King of Corn: Guy Lombardo
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Tex Beneke
- Trumpet: Ziggy Elman
- Trumpet: JC Higginbotham
- Clarinet: Irving Fazola
- Drums: Buddy Rich
- Bass: Bob Haggart
- Guitar: Charlie Christian
- Piano: Jess Stacy
- Arranger: Sy Oliver
- Male vocal artist: Frank Sinatra
- Female vocal artist: Helen O'Connell
1942
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Tommy Dorsey
- Swing Band: Duke Ellington
- Little combo: Benny Goodman sextet
- Service band: Artie Shaw Navy Band
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Harry James
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Tex Beneke
- Trumpet: Roy Eldridge
- Trumpet: JC Higginbotham
- Clarinet: Pee Wee Russell
- Drums: Buddy Rich
- Bass: Bob Haggart
- Guitar: Eddie Condon
- Piano: Jess Stacy
- Arranger: Sy Oliver
- Male vocal artist: Frank Sinatra
- Female vocal artist: Helen Forrest
1943
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Tommy Dorsey
- Swing Band: Benny Goodman
- Little combo: Roy Eldridge
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Vido Musso
- Trumpet: Ziggy Elman
- Trumpet: JC Higginbotham
- Clarinet: Pee Wee Russell
- Drums: Gene Krupa
- Bass: Artie Bernstein
- Guitar: Eddie Condon
- Piano: Mel Powell
- Arranger: Sy Oliver
- Male vocal artist: Frank Sinatra
- Female vocal artist: Jo Stafford
1944
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Charlie Spivak
- Swing Band: Duke Ellington
- Little combo: Nat King Cole Trio
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Lester Young
- Baritone saxophone: Harry Carney
- Trumpet: Ziggy Elman
- Trumpet: JC Higginbotham
- Clarinet: Pee Wee Russell
- Drums: Buddy Rich
- Bass: Artie Bernstein
- Guitar: Allan Reuss
- Piano: Mel Powell
- Arranger: Sy Oliver
- Male vocal artist (without a band): Bing Crosby
- Female vocal artist (without a band): Dinah Shore
- Male vocal artist (with band): Bob Eberly
- Female vocal artist (with band): Anita O'Day
1945
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Tommy Dorsey
- Swing band: Woody Herman
- Little combo: Nat King Cole Trio
- Small vocal group: Pied Pipers
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Charlie Ventura
- Baritone saxophone: Harry Carney
- Trumpet: Ziggy Elman
- Trumpet: Bill Harris
- Clarinet: Buddy DeFranco
- Drums: David Tough
- Bass: Chubby Jackson
- Guitar: Oscar Moore
- Piano: Mel Powell
- Arranger: Sy Oliver
- Male vocal artist (without a band): Bing Crosby
- Female vocal artist (without a band): Jo Stafford
- Male vocal artist (with band): Stuart Foster
- Female vocal artist (with band): Anita O'Day
1946
Reader poll:
- Sweet Band: Claude Thornhill
- Swing band: Stan Kenton
- Little combo: Nat King Cole Trio
- Small vocal group: Pied Pipers
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Vido Musso
- Baritone saxophone: Harry Carney
- Trumpet: Roy Eldridge
- Trumpet: Bill Harris
- Clarinet: Buddy DeFranco
- Drums: David Tough
- Bass: Eddie Safranski
- Guitar: Oscar Moore
- Piano: Mel Powell
- Arranger: Billy Strayhorn
- Male vocal artist (without a band): Frank Sinatra
- Female vocal artist (without a band): Peggy Lee
- Male vocal artist (with band): Buddy Stewart
- Female vocal artist (with band): June Christy
1947
Reader poll:
- Best band: Stan Kenton
- Little combo: Nat King Cole Trio
- Small vocal group: Pied Pipers
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Vido Musso
- Baritone saxophone: Harry Carney
- Trumpet: Ziggy Elman
- Trumpet: Bill Harris
- Clarinet: Buddy DeFranco
- Drums: Shelly Manne
- Bass: Eddie Safranski
- Guitar: Oscar Moore
- Piano: Mel Powell
- Arranger: Pete Rugolo
- Male vocal artist (without a band): Frank Sinatra
- Female vocal artist (without a band): Sarah Vaughan
- Male vocal artist (with band): Buddy Stewart
- Female vocal artist (with band): June Christy
1948
Reader poll:
- Best band: Duke Ellington
- Combo (instrumental): Charlie Ventura
- Small vocal group: Pied Pipers
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Duke Ellington
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Flip Phillips
- Baritone saxophone: Harry Carney
- Trumpet: Charlie Shavers
- Trumpet: Bill Harris
- Clarinet: Buddy DeFranco
- Drums: Shelly Manne
- Bass: Eddie Safranski
- Guitar: Oscar Moore
- Piano: Erroll Garner
- Arranger: Billy Eckstine
- Male vocal artist (without a band): Billy Eckstine
- Female vocal artist (without a band): Sarah Vaughan
- Male vocal artist (with band): Al Hibbler
- Female vocal artist (with band): June Christy
1949
Reader poll:
- Best band: Woody Herman
- Combo (Instrumental): George Shearing
- Small vocal group: Pied Pipers
- King of Corn: Spike Jones
- Solo artist: Benny Goodman
- Alto saxophone: Johnny Hodges
- Tenor saxophone: Flip Phillips
- Baritone saxophone: Serge Chaloff
- Trumpet: Howard McGhee
- Trumpet: Bill Harris
- Clarinet: Buddy DeFranco
- Drums: Shelly Manne
- Bass: Eddie Safranski
- Guitar: Billy Bauer
- Piano: Oscar Peterson
- Arranger: Pete Rugolo
- Male vocal artist (without a band): Billy Eckstine
- Female vocal artist (without a band): Sarah Vaughan
- Male vocal artist (with band): Al Hibbler
- Female Vocal Artist (with band): Mary Ann McCall