Welcome to Tuxedo Junction!

Welcome to Tuxedo Junction!

My name is George Spink. I have enjoyed jazz and big band music for many years. To share my love of this music, I launched Tuxedo Junction in October 2000. It has become one of the most popular big band web sites on the Internet. Its visitors live in more than 55 nations.

There are many features on Tuxedo Junction for you to enjoy -- for example, our Authors, Juke Box Pages, Playlists, Big Band Links, Favorites, Guestbook, Photo Parades Pages, and Videos. In fact, you'll find links to 60 videos on our Videos page, and you'll find videos on many other pages, too. After all, you and I and all of the other guys are members of the YouTube generation -- right?

It is very gratifying to know so many people around the world share my love of big band music. I want you to know how very much I enjoy your e-mails and appreciate your comments, questions, suggestions, complaints, and requests. You'll see an email button in the upper left corner of every page on Tuxedo Junction, and sometimes elsewhere as well, as you do on this page.

• Speaking of big band music, I think our visitors will enjoy retired Chicago disc jockey Art Hellyer's book, The Hellyer Say, and the companion video, Wake Up, Chicago!... The Art Hellyer Story, which you can view on Tuxedo Junction by clicking here. If you're not from Chicago, that's OK. You'll love both the video and the book! And if you work in radio or TV, you'll love them even more!

• Listen to Henry Holloway's biweekly big band show, Swing Sing and All That Jazz.

• Do you Tweet? Click here to see my Twitter page. There is a link to Tuxedo Junction near the top of my Twitter sidebar so you can return here easily.

To report a problem with Tuxedo Junction, please contact me via our Feedback Form rather than by email.

To see what songs are included on a given Playlist Page, click here, then click on the link to the Playlist Page that interests you.

Here are a few points I'd like to make about our web site:

• A lean, clean web site - I think you'll find Tuxedo Junction is easy to get around, to navigate, to enjoy. Use our search box below to look for something or someone in particular.

• Authors - There are more than 60 articles on Tuxedo Junction written by members of my big band broadcast blog, The Palomar, by members of my "anything goes" blog, George's Blog, and the rest by yours truly. Most of these articles pertain to the big bands, the Swing Era, but a few do not. Some of my articles appeared in the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Chicago Magazine in the 1970's and 1980's. I wrote others more recently, specifically for Tuxedo Junction or my blogs -- including those about Les Brown, Tommy Dorsey, Spike Jones, and Stan Kenton.

• Playlists - You'll find nearly 200 big band radio broadcasts on our Playlists Page. It will take you some time to enjoy all the music we have to offer.

We also offer 60 big band Playlist Pages. Many Pages are devoted to specific big bands while others offer a variety of big band and swing music. Most pages offer 20 songs each but a few offer more.

• Juke Box Pages - We offer more than 45 Juke Box Pages. Each one has between 25 and 50 songs. Click the title of anyone you wish to hear!

• 1pixelout Audio Player - I am using the 1pixelout Audio Player on many of the web pages on Tuxedo Junction. If you do not see this Audio Player on my web pages that use it, install Adobe Flash Player on your computer. More than 90 percent of all Internet users already have the Adobe Flash Player on their computers.

• Our Amazon Stores - Not long after I launched Tuxedo Junction in October 2000, visitors began writing to me to ask where they could buy big band music today. I decided to make it easy for them by becoming an Associate of Amazon.com (United States). In time, I became an Associate of Amazon.ca (Canada), Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom), Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.fr (France), and Amazon.co.jp (Japan). Use these handy graphic links to visit the Music sections of their web sites:

I have built an online big band shopping mall you can visit to browse -- and buy -- from Amazon's online stores. You can find a tremendous assortment of big band CD's, DVD's, VHS tapes, and books -- not to mention many, many other products. Amazon offers competitive, affordable prices. You may purchase products from any of them wherever you live, whenever you like.

Click on any of these links to visit our Amazon stores. No matter where you live, you can buy merchandise from them.

• Feedback - If you have any problems with Tuxedo Junction, please fill out and submit our Feedback Form. It is better to use this form than to send me an email, because the form asks for specific information I need to help you.

• Guestbook - If you would like to comment, make suggestions, complain, or read what others have said about Tuxedo Junction, please sign our Guestbook.

• George's Place - Our newest blog is for anyone who likes to blog, to talk about a variety of topics. George's Place isn't just for big band fans. What you'll find are topics I have posted. Look through them and join in the discussion! It's very easy!

• Swingera Yahoo! Group - To learn about changes to Tuxedo Junction and The Palomar, please join our Swingera Yahoo! Group. As a member, you can post messages about big band topics and buy and sell big band CD's, DVD's, videos, and books. Be aware that buyers and sellers are responsible for their own transactions, not me. We have never had a problem, but always use caution online.

• Search - If you want to search Tuxedo Junction or the Internet, our FreeFind search engine will help:

• Please support Tuxedo Junction - You can make a donation to us safely and securely via PayPal by using this link and a similar one that appears in the sidebar on our web pages: We appreciate your donations and purchases.

Thirty years ago, I hosted a big band radio show, The Saturday Swing Shift, on WBEZ-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in Chicago. I enjoyed hosting my show but stopped doing so in September 1981 for personal reasons. I have always regretted my decision.

Since October 2000, when I launched Tuxedo Junction, I have been reaching a large audience of big band fans via the Internet. Our visitors live in more than 55 nations, according to our recent web site statistics.

The Airmen of Note, Count Basie, Les Brown, Benny Carter, Tommy Dorsey, Billy Eckstine, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Ted Heath, Woody Herman, Billie Holiday, Harry James, Spike Jones, Stan Kenton, Gene Krupa, Syd Lawrence, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, George Shearing, Chick Webb, and others are featured on our Playlist Pages (click the button on the left).

Today's big bands also are featured on our Playlist Pages, including Gary Tole and the Legends of Swing, the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the George Gee Big Band, Larry O'Brien and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Australian Glenn Miller Tribute Band, the Jack Million Band, and Chris Dean and the Syd Lawrence Orchestra.

These bands have fine vocalistsl, including Cassie Miller (who sings with Bill Elliott, Gary Tole, and, at times, actor John Lithgow), Carla Cook (George Gee Big Band), and Julia Rich and Nick Hilscher who recently sang with Larry O'Brien and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. And, we feature vocalists out on their own, including Bobby Caldwell, Jamie Davis, and Scott Martin. Bill Elliott is a fine vocalist and a pianist, arranger, and big band leader. Thanks to all of these talented people and the musicians with whom they work, the Swing Era is alive and well in these early years of the 21st Century.

Remember, though, as you listen to the recordings and broadcasts of these great bands and their vocalists, the best way to enjoy big bands is to hear them in person. Nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to the thrill you get when you hear a big band in concert or at a ballroom or a night club. So, get off your rusty dusty...!

If you would like to know more about yours truly, click here or the button in the sidebar with my name on it.

Cordially,