American jazz orchestra and big band. From the 1940's, the expression 'The Herd' was used in variable context, which was always a synonym for Woody Herman's orchestra.
Woody Herman inherited the Isham Jones Orchestra in New York City in 1936. The history of the following band evolution can be structured in the following way:
1936 - 1944: The Band That Plays The Blues
In 1944, the term 'The Herd' was first established. Woody Herman took this term for his purposes and started first to number the herds, later the herds got more special names. The following time table gives an overview over the living periods of the herds. The respective herd was always used as an ANV to the 'Woody Herman Orchestra' in the specified time range. All members of the herds were also member of the Woody Herman orchestra.
1944 - 1946: Woody Herman & the Herd
1947 - Nov 1949: Woody Herman & The Second Herd
Apr 1950 - June 1955: Woody Herman and His Third Herd
Nov 1955 - Dec 1955: Woody Herman And His Octet/Woody Herman And The Las Vegas Herd
Dec 1955 - March 1959: Woody Herman And The Fourth Herd, until May 1956 aka Woody Herman And The Swingin' Herd
Dec 1958 - Feb 1959: Woody Herman Sextet
April 1959: Woody Herman's Anglo-American Herd
Oct 1959: Woody Herman's Big New Herd
June 1959 - Aug 1967: Woody Herman and The Swingin' Herd
Further bands were defined by recording:
1967 - 1981: Woody Herman And The Thundering Herd (coexistence)
1973 - 1979: Woody Herman & The Young Thundering Herd (coexistence)
1977: Woody Herman & The New Thundering Herd (coexistence)
1978: Woody Herman Band (coexistence)
1977 - 1987 Woody Herman & His Big Band (coexistence)
Post mortem:
1987ff: The Woody Herman Orchestra
Besides this rough timeline, there were several spin-offs and reincarnations of other bands and herds, which do make the timeline in fact more complicated.
For example: Members Of The Woody Herman Orchestra (primarily circa 1959)