Philip O. Bennett Papers

Collection

Identifier: RG 30-306

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This extensive collection contains papers and multimedia documenting Phillip Bennett's life. Because Bennett was blind, this collection provides information about Oberlin College's efforts to help students with disabilites, services available to help the blind, and Bennett's ability to conduct everyday life in a very successful fashion and to excel as a musician.

Twelve folders of correspondence provide information about Bennett's admission to the Conservatory at Oberlin College in 1933, performances by Bennett and his orchestra, and his personal life. The letters concerning Oberlin indicate that Bennett received a warm welcome by the community, the school, and the students. The correspondence includes a letter of greeting from First Church of Oberlin and an invitation to one of the College's exclusive men's dining halls, as well as evidence of the College's efforts to arrange suitable housing and acquire a reader for Bennett. Some of the letters also concern Bennett's own efforts to obtain Braille textbooks and other services in order to meet his needs. The correspondence files extend to the end of Bennett's life, encompassing his career and personal life. The many thank-you cards and appreciative letters indicate that people enjoyed the performances of Philip Bennett and his orchestra, and that his talent was in high demand.

Photographs featuring Bennett with President Ronald Reagan and other well-known figures, in addition to Christmas cards from President Richard Nixon, show the extent of this demand. Bennett's musical ability is well represented in the collection in the form of sheet music and audio and video recordings. The sheet music is mostly composed by Bennett, though some of the pieces are arranged by others. The recordings consist of Bennett's performances in the studio, live, and on television. Additionally, there are audio recordings containing family stories and history recited by family members, in an attempt to provide Bennett with a simple way to become acquainted with his family's past. These are supplemented by photographs from his childhood, an extensive paper on the family history, and a genealogical chart. Facts about Bennett's own past can be gleaned from newspaper clippings, several biographical sketches, a catalogue from the family business, and Bennett's own one-of-a-kind Braille wristwatch.

Dates

Creation: 1923-1998, undated
Other: Date acquired: 1998 September 18

Creator

Bennett, Philip O. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted

Biographical Sketch

Philip "Phil" Oliver Bennett, conductor, arranger, composer and performer, was born on September 14, 1914 in New York City, the son of Eugene Cowles Bennett and Louie Azalea Rice Bennett. Bennett was raised with his siblings, Madeleine and Priscilla. Blind from birth, he was encouraged in childhood to pursue his interests and talents in music. Although he experienced many rebuffs and setbacks during his early years, his mother’s supportive “You can do it!” helped him persevere. During grade and middle school years, he was a soloist with school bands and orchestras, and while in high school, he conducted his own orchestra as well as playing saxophone, clarinet, and drums in other orchestras.

In 1933, determined to study music as a profession, Phil (the name he preferred) Bennett entered the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College as a special student. While there, he actively participated in the Glee Club, the band, the Musical Union, and the Peace Society. He graduated in 1938 with a MusB degree in voice. During 1939-40, he studied music at Montclair State College (New Jersey), and he took private voice lessons in New York City, specializing in recital preparation. For several years (1938-43), he taught voice and saxophone in both Montclair and New York City while also working as vice president of his father’s New York based mail-order jewelry firm. Following an unsuccessful attempt to establish himself as a concert baritone singer, Phil Bennett decided to organize a dance orchestra, a decision that allowed him to draw upon his considerable knowledge of both classical and popular music and to use his business skills: “Musicianship and salesmanship came into play, side by side.”

Phil Bennett always believed that his success as the leader of a society dance orchestra resulted from his tailoring each performance to the specific audience and then evaluating each engagement for his orchestra. He found few audiences for whom Cole Porter, Hammerstein, and Gershwin were not popular, but in some programs jazz and Dixieland had to predominate. Progressive jazz spoke to Bennett’s aesthetic sense; Dixieland challenged his technical abilities.

Phil Bennett’s versatility and virtuosity-he sang in five languages and played twelve instruments-enabled him to perform in a variety of styles and venues: Carnegie Hall, a ball for Nixon’s second inaugural, a Central Park “American Day,” and two United Nations’ Balls. He and his orchestra made several recordings on the Bryant label and appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Bennett’s many compositions include: “You Can Never Tell,” “Vitamin You,” “George Washington Bridge,” and “International Waltz” which is dedicated to the UN’s 15th anniversary.

In 1946, Phil Bennett was recognized for having entertained the troops during World War II; in 1967, he received the “Musician of the Year Award” from the Association of the Blind; and in 1987 he was cited by the American Flag Association.

On June 29, 1946, Phil Bennett married Joyce Wimpenny, a 1945 graduate of the Eastman School of Music in piano and music education. She continued to work as her husband’s business assistant as she had before their marriage. Their marriage produced no children.

Philip Oliver Bennett was raised like a sighted person, and he always wanted his reputation to be based on his musical ability, not his blindness. He despised pity because “I don’t deserve it.” “If a blind person can be placed in an atmosphere where he can grow by the use of his own ingenuity, chances are that he will prove to be a useful and worthwhile citizen. I am happy that I was able to find my niche in life bringing music to the ears of the multitudes.”

Philip Oliver Bennett died on July 17, 1998, in Montclair, New Jersey.

Sources Consulted:

Battelle, Phyllis. “Few Know the Real Story of Oberlin Graduate, Musical’G...” [Damaged source; no information about place, page, or date of publication.]

Bennett, Philip Oliver. Application for Admission to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. April 18, 1933.

Bennett, Philip Oliver. “A Study in Courage.” [Damaged source; no information about place, page or date of publication.]

“Bennett, Philip Oliver.” Who’s Who in Entertainment. 1989-90. p. 47.

Biography of Phil Bennett & His Orchestra. [Three page typescript with no information about author, place, or date of publication.]

Oberlin College Alumni Reunion Class Questionnaire -- Alumni Records Data, 1963.

Oberlin College Biographical Form, 1981.

Oberlin College Alumni Profile Revision. November 12, 1998.

"Paid Notice: Deaths: Bennett, Philip Oliver." The New York Times. July 22, 1998. Section A, Page 17. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/22/classified/paid-notice-deaths-bennett-philip-oliver.html.

Student File of Philip O. Bennett (RG 28).

Note written by Elizabeth Brinkman.