Musician. Born Robert Leo Hackett in Providence, Rhode Island, he was a jazz trumpet, cornet and guitar player during the big band era. In 1937, he moved to New York, where he started performing in society bands with Lester and Howard Lanin, Meyer Davis and Benny Goodman. From 1941 to 1942, he doubling on cornet and guitar with the Glenn Miller Band and was best known for his cornet solo in "A String of Pearls". For the remainder of the 1940s into the 1950s, he worked as a staff musician at NBC and ABC as well as leading his own band and appearances with Katherine Dunham and Glen Gray. During the 1960s, he toured with Tony Bennett and led his own small bands at jazz festivals internationally. He died in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Musician. Born Robert Leo Hackett in Providence, Rhode Island, he was a jazz trumpet, cornet and guitar player during the big band era. In 1937, he moved to New York, where he started performing in society bands with Lester and Howard Lanin, Meyer Davis and Benny Goodman. From 1941 to 1942, he doubling on cornet and guitar with the Glenn Miller Band and was best known for his cornet solo in "A String of Pearls". For the remainder of the 1940s into the 1950s, he worked as a staff musician at NBC and ABC as well as leading his own band and appearances with Katherine Dunham and Glen Gray. During the 1960s, he toured with Tony Bennett and led his own small bands at jazz festivals internationally. He died in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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