Alto saxophonist and arranger Edgar Sampson introduced his composition while a member of Chick Webb’s Orchestra in 1934. The following year their Decca recording landed in the charts:

• Chick Webb and His Orchestra (1935, #20)
• Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1938, #1)
• Mildred Bailey (1938, vocal, #9)

During the swing era, a band’s arrangements could make or break an ensemble. When Benny Goodman formed his big band in 1934, he invested in the talents of top-notch arrangers. His first charts came from Dean Kinkade and Lyle “Spud” Murphy, but in 1935 he began using arrangements by black writers, first by brothers Fletcher and Horace Henderson, then by Edgar Sampson of Chick Webb’s band. In 1936 Sampson sold Benny two charts of tunes he’d written: “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “If Dreams Come True.” Goodman’s version of “Stompin’” hit the charts in 1936 just as Webb’s version had two years prior.

Goodman and the members of his group were fans of Webb’s band. Drummer Gene Krupa was especially impressed and influenced by Chick’s playing. On a momentous Tuesday evening, May 11, 1937, the two bands met up for a “Battle of the Bands” at the Savoy Ballroom, Webb’s home turf. For five hours the ensembles traded musical volleys, but as one of the 4,000 patrons later stated, when “Chick gave them the first beat of the bass drum, the crowd went absolutely mad and screamed their applause.” Even Gene Krupa conceded “He just cut me to ribbons. When he really let go, you had a feeling that the entire atmosphere in the place was being charged.”

Although the public considered Goodman to be the “King of Swing,” the triumph by the Webb band at the Savoy did nothing to put the brakes on Goodman’s express ride to fame. On January 16, 1938, the Goodman orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall, the first time a jazz contingent played the hallowed home of classical music. As a doff of his hat to Chick Webb and arranger/saxophonist Edgar Sampson, Goodman opened the monumental concert with “Don’t Be That Way.” Exactly a month later Goodman recorded the number for RCA Victor, and the disc hit number one later in the year.

Some years later composer Sampson was asked what his favorite version of “Don’t Be That Way” was. His response was “musically, I prefer Chick’s. Financially, I prefer Benny’s!”

Goodman’s connection to the tune became a rather ridiculous part of the script of the 1955 film The Benny Goodman Story, starring Steve Allen as the clarinetist. Whenever Goodman’s character is chastised for doing something contrary, he’s told “Don’t Be That Way, Benny.” Fairly typical Hollywood treatment for a jazz musician’s life story, unfortunately.

Vocalist Mildred Bailey was the first to take on the challenge of singing Sampson’s melody, fitted with lyrics by master craftsman Mitchell Parish. The song begins with the exclamation “Don’t Cry, oh honey please don’t be that way,” and then goes on to describe why these tears are like a rainy day, and hopefully things will look up because “tomorrow is another day.”