On September 1, 1940 Kay Kyser introduced his "Fitch Bandwagon" audience to the, "smooth and tasty sounds" of Chuck Cabot. The band was only formed ten months earlier at the University of Southern California. What an incredible beginning!

Cabot grew up in San Fernando, California and was exposed to swing, Latin and Dixieland music at an early age. All three types of music could be heard in any performance, as he believed a mixture of music helped balance the program. Interestingly, Chuck was not a very good musician himself, only occasionally playing the fourth tenor sax book. And, his ear was not all that sharp either. On occasion, the entire sax section could be heard playing off key.

At the time, there were rumors that the Cabot band was one of the crime syndicate's ('Cleveland branch') legitimate enterprises. (Yes, the 'mob' did back many orchestras (and other acts), many of which were even booked into mob controlled nightclubs. although they were indeed 'free' to book elsewhere too. See our Nightclub Era Remembrances page. ) Back then, the word was that Chuck was paid a straight salary for his seven year contract, and the Syndicate took all the rest of the money. Chuck was supplied with a new Cadillac for his personal travel, a Ford station wagon, for the bandsmen, and a panel body truck, which carried the instruments and equipment for the road band. The 'boys' from Cleveland used their influence to see that Cabot's band was always well booked.

The band's uniforms were all 'tailor-made' by 'Ace Tailors' of Galveston, Texas. (The tailors flew to Las Vegas about twice a week and were doing clothes for many other bands in Las Vegas.) Gus Donahue, who was arranging for the Lawrence Welk band, was also writing for Cabot's band. His band toured coast to coast stopping for long engagements at the Peabody, in Memphis and the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. Cabot occasionally sang with the band as did Beth Harmon The band also featured Cliff Olson, Babe Browman and John Davenport.

With the ending of both Chuck's seven year contract, and the Big Band era, Chuck was on his own and he just kind of disappeared from the scene. (Although he did play some relatively minor dates on his own.) Chuck's orchestra had been just one of those semi-name band; -there were hundreds of other simitlar bands working on the road in those days.

One of the Trumpeters with the band was Irvan "Stumpy" Stumph. His daughter, Bobby Jean, has graciously permitted us to reproduce this photo of the Chuck Cabot Orchestra. Irvan is seated in the second row (on the drummer's right hand - just below the cymbal.) The legend reads: "1937. Chuck Cabot Orchestra. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel".
These notes on the "Chuck" Cabot Orchestra were supplied through the courtesy of Ms. Bobby Jean Simkims, and Mr. Judson Blount.

    [ The California Ramblers ]
Here's a photograph of the California Ramblers, A mis-named band, --most of the personnel were from Ohio. The name came from one of the venues where they had played, the Ramblers Inn in Pelham, NY.

"The California Ramblers", were one of the "hottest" dance bands of the 1920s and consistently turned out records of the highest musical quality. They were is such demand, that many labels wanted to record them, and so the Ramblers recorded under many different names including 'The Goofus Five', 'The Five Birmingham Babies', 'The University Six', and the 'Varsity Eight' (with occasional slight personnel changes) All of their recording were spectacular, but it should be mentioned that nobody mastered the bass sax like Rollini. his playing remains an absolute joy to this day.
The band's career started when two of their members called on band agent Ed Kirkeby to find them work in New York City. (Kirkeby later found fame as Fats Waller's manager.)

Banjoist Ray Kitchenman was the band's first leader. Kirkeby found work for them as accompaniment for a singer named Eva Shirley, but they broke up due to internal dissensions.

Violinist Arthur Hand had a band at that time, which included the Dorsey Brothers; Loring "Red" Nichols, and Adrian Rollini. Kitchenman talked Hand into giving him the band, and then again asked Kirkeby to find work. Kirkeby first booked them into Shanley's Dance Hall on New York's famed Broadway for a tryout. Shortly thereafter, the band took up residence at the 'Post Lodge' in Pelham Bay Park, Westchester county, -a suburb of New York City. The lodge was then renamed The California Rambler's Inn.
  "The Bees Knees", (623 kb): Played by the California Ramblers on Nov. 29, 1922, (600 kb), digitally re-engineered by Mr. Verne Buland.
The group's instant success was to last for over a decade. They recorded prolifically under the California Rambler's name for Columbia Records, and under numerous pseudonyms for other labels. Kirkeby has told interviewers that the band waived all royalties with Columbia for the right to record for other companies under differing names. Their records appeared on most of the independent labels active in the mid-1920s including: Edison, Harmony, Silvertone, Pennington, and Broadway. For the Pathe' Actuelle label, they were the 'Palace Garden Orchestra.' On the Perfect label, they were billed as 'Meyer's Dance Band.' Grafton Records called them the 'Windsor Orchestra'." Some other names they used were "The Golden Gate Orchestra", "Goldie's Syncopators", "Ted Wallace and his Orchestra",--and more. During the month of April 1926 - to cite just one example - they recorded over a dozen tunes using several pseudonyms on ten different labels, making more records than any band in New York.

In 1924 manager Kirkeby, formed a small group out of the orchestra to play 'hot jazz' and novelty tunes. The quintet consisted of Bill Moore on trumpet, Adrian Rollini on Bass Saxophone and "goofus", Irving Brodsky on piano, and banjoist Ray Kitchingman (who was later replaced by Tommy Felline, while Stan King was added playing drums and kazoo). The "goofus" was a tiny (a few inches) "thing" that was shaped like a saxophone and sounded like a harmonica or melodica. This group recorded for Columbia as "The Little Ramblers", for Pathe as "The Five Birmingham Babies" and for Okeh Records as "The Goofus Five." The Goofus Five soon grew to eight pieces, and Adrian Rollini's Bass Sax was absolutely outstanding. At various times other band members included Red Nichols on cornet, Bobby Davis on alto sax, Chelsea Quealey -trumpet, and Abe Lincoln on trombone. Among the vocalists who sang with the group was their manager Ed Kirkeby. In late-1927, Rollini and some of the other bandsmen visited England. Returning to the 'States', 'The Goofus Five' continued recording (with lesser players) but their music was now more dance music-oriented rather than novelty or hot jazz. (On Feb. 28, 1929, Rollini was on the Goofus Five's final recording session, and the name became history.)

Their reputation as a dance band has overshadowed their importance in Jazz history. Many historians feel that such other dance bands of the '20s, as Ray Miller, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Isham Jones, and Paul Whiteman, had a somewhat tense rhythmic and melodic rigidity which was unlike the Ramblers buoyant rhythm (with Stan King on drums). Their exhuberant music, often based on cleverly modified stock arrangements, featured hot solos by the some of the finest Jazz men in New York City, thus anticipating the cult of soloists in the great Swing bands of the 40s.

As mentioned above, on a number of old 78s, Adrian Rollini played the Bass Sax. It must have been absolutely delightful to hear him in person because the 'sound' of that sax, - his embouchure - that we hear coming out of those old low fidelity 78RPM records even today, is still perfectly enchanting. During this time, Rollini, was able to extend the the ungainly bass sax from its role as just a rhythmic "ump-pa-ump-pa" cadence horn into a viable solo instrument. Adrian (Rollini was a child prodigy. At age 4 he gave a Chopin piano recital at the Waldorf-Astoria. Rollini left band in 1927, replaced by Spencer Clark, but he did continue to appear with them from time to time - including their late 1927 tour of England and on their last 1929 record session.)

With Ben Pollack's, orchestra, the Ramblers share the distinction of being one of the earliest 'White' bands that played jazz-influenced dance music. (Incidentally, when cornetist Bill Moore joined the band; he became the first regular Black member of a White orchestra. This predates Benny Goodman's use of pianist Teddy Wilson and Vibrophonist Lionel Hampton.) The Rambler's early arrangements were at least as good as, and sometimes better than such bands as Fletcher Henderson and Paul Whiteman. Their influence even extended to London, England. In the late 20's, Fred Elizalde's, band had many of the original California Rambler's sidemen working for him. While one of the Rambler's sidemen, George Fishberg was to remain in England and, under the name of George Fisher and His Kit Kat Orchestra, became one of Britain's finest orchestras.

    [ Blanche Calloway Orchestra ]
b: Feb. 2, 1902, Baltimore, MD, USA d: 1978 (Breast Cancer)
Theme: "Growlin' Dan"
Piano/Leader
Overview Here's a photograph of Blanche Calloway, who was bandleader Cab Calloway's older sister. To the best of my knowledge, Cab and Blanche never recorded together. However, Blanche did share her brother's high energy performance style, although her work was more rougher, raunchier and wilder than Cab's. In the 1933 Pittsburgh Courier newspaper's survey of 38 outstanding Black Orchestras, Blanche's "Joy Boys" orchestra ranked 9th, --only five points in back of Louis Armstrong, and ahead of the Jimmie Lanceford, Chick Webb, Bennie Moten, and Claude Hopkins bands. Another interesting quote comes from Earl "Fatha" Hines:
        "Blanche Calloway, Cab's sister, had a very good way of entertaining. She was wild and
       wiry in certain things and very sensitive in others ......Although Cab may not say this to
       himself, all of his style was from her. His sister taught him everything he knew about
       performing."

Her father, Cabell Calloway, a graduate of Pennsylvania's Lincoln University was a practicing lawyer; mother Martha Eulaela Reed Calloway, an alumna of Morgan State College, worked as a schoolteacher in the Baltimore school system, also taught music, and was her church's organist. Blanche was the eldest child, and the other siblings were Cab, Elmer and Bernice. Her father died in 1910, and sometime later, Martha married John N. Fortune, that union produced two more children.

Blanche studied music at Morgan State College, but dropped out and began performing in local various local clubs. In 1923, she joined the touring cast of the Noble Sissle - Eubie Blake musical "Shuffle Along". She later appeared in James P. Johnson's show "Plantation Days". In 1927, the show closed and she stayed in Chicago, working in various clubs.

While living in Chicago, younger brother Cab, joined her when he came to attend Crane College as a pre-law student (since their dad was a lawyer), but Cab dropped out of school and Blanche groomed him to he an entertainer. Subsequently, they became a "brother-sister act" leading their own band.

In 1925, one of her very earliest recordings was singing with Louis Armstrong. She toured extensively and even worked New York City's exclusive 'Ciro Club'. In 1931, she and Andy Kirk's Twelve Clouds of Joy Orchestra were headliners in Philadelphia's Pearl Theatre. At Kirk's invitation, she joined the band and toured the US with them. (She was having a relationship with Kirk's trumpet player Edgar "Puddin Head" Battle.) This experience gave her the background to lead a band of her own. Later, Kirk heard a rumor that the manager of the Pearl Theatre (Sam Steiffel) was thinking of having Blanche take over leadership of Kirk's band. So, when the Clouds of Joy were booked into a resort near Kansas City, he left Blanche behind, -together with "Puddin Head" Battle.

"Puddin Head" lured six men (including Ben Webster) from Jap Allen's then new Kansas City band to join him and Blanche, with local New York musicians filling the remaining chairs in a band they called "Blanche Calloway and Her Joy Boys". She was the first black woman to front an all-male orchestra. (Ella Fitzgerald may have been the Third . I think that the Second was Anna Mae Winburn, - who had fronted the Lloyd Hunter Serenaders, and then in 1941, became the leader of the all-girl International Sweethearts of Rhythm ) Later, the Joy Boys were simply called "Blanche Calloway and Her Orchestra".

In September 1938, she disbanded her orchestra, and worked as a "solo" act up until the mid-'40's. In 1939, she adopted the Christian Science Religion. In 1940, she again formed a band which met with little success. Then she and her husband moved to a Philadelphia suburb (Tioga), where she became politically active, and served during the 1940s as a Democratic Committee woman. She next managed an after hours Washington, DC, nightclub called The Crystle Caverns, where she discovered and helped singer Ruth Brown.

In the late 1950's, she moved to Miami, FL, and continued her political activity, becoming one of the first Negro clerks to serve in a Florida voting precinct. In the 1960s, she became Miami's only black female Radio disk jockey (station WMEM). (In addition to playing records, she offered her audience some of her own Christian Science beliefs.) She later formed her own Mail Order Cosmetics (for African-Americans) company (Afram House, Inc.) At age 75, Blanche Calloway died of Breast Cancer.

    [ Cab Calloway Orchestra ]
b: Dec. 25, 1907, Rochester, NY, USA d: Nov. 19, 1994, Hockessin, DE, USA
né: Cabell Calloway, III
Theme Song: "Minnie The Moocher" (aka: "Minnie the Moocha")
Instruments: Leader/piano/drums
"Cab Calloway and His Orchestra present a Flaming bit of Heated Harlem Harmony".
Tagline: The King of "Heigh De Ho"
Here's a photograph of Cab Calloway, not quite as he was always dressed. (In a tribute to the music, in this photo he appears dressed in a pure white "Zoot Suit", with a 'key' chain down to his ankles, but still the white shoes and stockings.) Here's another photo of Cab, who while performing on stage, always appeared dressed in pure white "Tails", hat, stockings and shoes (even a white cane where applicable).

Cab originally played the piano, but told interviewers that he switched to the drums because his hands gave out before 30 minutes was up.

Cab was raised in Baltimore, MD, USA. While in his teens, the family moved to Chicago where Cab studied at Crane College. In the early 1920s, he made his first stage appearance in the 'Plantation Days' show at the Loop Theatre, Chicago, IL. (Around this time, he also worked with another fine musician, -his sister Blanche, -who at one time had a band of her own.)

While in Chicago, during 1928, Cab was working as the 'emcee' at the Sunset Cafe on Chicago's South Side. One day, during a rehearsal, he decided to do a number with the band, then called "Marion Hardy's Alabamians", a co-op band. The bandsmen were so impressed that they took a vote and made Cab their leader.

In January 1929, Cab took the band to New York City for a gig, but when the Alabamians went back to Chicago, he stayed in New York and took over the leadership of another band -"The Missourians", In the Spring of 1929, he returned to Chicago and again acted as both the master of ceremonies and the vocalist with The Alabamians.

In the following two years, his fate was again intertwined with the bands. First, late in 1929, Cab returned to New York to appear on stage with the "Hot Chocolate Revue" before again rejoining "The Alabamians" for an appearance at the Savoy. The next year, 1930, he was again asked to lead the "Missourians", and again he accepted, but this time taking them to the Cotton Club as 'Cab Calloway and his Orchestra". (For some interesting sidelights, please see our online Missourians, entry.) Perhaps his most famous hit song (and then Theme), "Minnie the Moocher", was first broadcast from there. (Today, 70 years later, his band is still remembered for their version of "Minnie".)

There is the story that one night during a broadcast, Cab's mind went blank and he forgot the lyrics. He started doing 'scat' singing, and the audience responded, and so he began to also get the band involved. The "Call and Response" of another of his wonderful hit songs, "Hi-dee-ho" was born.

In 1932, Cab went to Hollywood, where he played in several films, among which are: "The Singing Kid" starring Al Jolson; The Big Broadcast of 1933; Stormy Weather (with a young Lena Horne, sitting in a window and singing the title song); Later he appeared in the movie Sensations of 1945, and others.

In 1938, Cab's band consisted of the following sidemen:
       Shad Collins, Trumpet
       Irving Randolph, Trumpet
       Lammar Wright, Trumpet
       Doc Cheatham, Trumpet
       Claude Jones, Trombone
       Keg Johnson, Trombone
       De Priest Wheeler, Trombone
       Chauncey Haughton, Clarinet/Alto-Sax
       Andrew Brown, Clarinet/Alto-Sax
       Walter Thomas, Tenor Sax
       Chu Berry, Tenor Sax
       Bennie Payne, Piano
       Danny Barker, Guitar
       Milton Hinton, String bass
       Leroy Maxie, Drums

During his band's peak years (1940's) he employed such other musicians as Ben Webster and Hilton Jefferson (saxes); Dizzy Gillespie and Jonah Jones (trumpets); and Cozy Cole (drums).

Cab's big band lasted until 1948, attesting to his popularity. From 1948 to 1952, he mostly fronted small combos, but in 1951, Cab took a big band on tour to Montivideo. From June '52 to Aug. '54, Cab toured Europe and America in the role of Sportin' Life with the touring company of Gershwin's Opera, Porgy and Bess.

From 1954 on, he worked as a solo act, although on occasion, he did front a big band assembled by Eddie Barefield.
Above notes via Mr Alan Popow.

    [ Tutti Camarata Orch. ]
b. May 11, 1913, Glen Ridge, NJ, USA.
né: Salvatore Camarata
Overview
Tutti is one of those hard to define musicians. He is an interpreter of Classical music who has a background in Popular music. His 'orchestras', with the exception of the Kingsway Symphony, were not really his, but were assembled for him by the studios for which he worked.

His childhood studies were in Verona, NJ, entering famed Juilliard School of Music when he was 18 years old. There, under his teacher Bernard Wagenaar, he made rapid progress in orchestration and composition. Camarata also took conducting lessons under famed conductor Cesare Sodero.

He then spent some years in the popular music field. In the early 1930's, he worked as an arranger for the Charlie Barnet Orchestra, after which he joined the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra as lead trumpet and arranger, and left his indelible mark on that fine band. During Jimmy's long run on the 20 Grand Radio Show, they were faced with the need to demonstrate all that the band could do in one three minute spot. Tutti came up with an ingenious and effective concept. Tutti created a three-in-one arrangement. The first part opened with a smooth vocal by Bob Eberly, the arrangement then moved to an jumping, up-tempo vocal by glamorous Helen O'Connell, and then ended on the third part with Jimmy's alto sax and the band. "Amapola" became the first big hit using this new technique. "Yours" followed and then "Green Eyes" followed by "Tangerine", all of which were huge successes.

After leaving Jimmy Dorsey, Camarata wrote for such well known bands as Paul Whiteman, the Casa Loma Orchestra, and for the Benny Goodman Orchestra, for whom, among other work, he wrote an arrangement of Prokovief's "Peter and The Wolf".

He also did much studio work. For some years, he was a musical director for Decca Records, and at the American Broadcasting Corporation. He was one of the co-founders of both London Records and of Disneyland Records. Perhaps his best known studio works are the string backgrounds for Billy Holiday recordings. One of these string arrangements was for Holiday's recording of Tutti's own work, "No More", with lyric by Bob Russell. Tutti could also write lyrics on his own. Perhaps his best is the song "The Breeze And I".

Among his other credits, is an association with famous composer George Gershwin when they worked on the film score of the Astaire/Rogers picture 'Shall We Dance'.

In late 1940, he entered the U.S. Airforce as a flight instructor. After WW2, he went to England and organized the Kingston Symphony, a full orchestra with 70 musicians.

Since then, he has been alternating his time between the U.K. and America. Quite apart from his work with the Big Bands and Popular Music, he has done some work in the Classics field transcribing of operas. He is also the composer of a religious work entitled "Portrait of Jesus".

    [ Buddy Campbell Orch. ]
A Studio-only band operating ca. 1931
It was a 'paper only' band. See the Ray Carroll Orch., entry for more details.

    [ Del Campo and his Orch. ]
Currently no information available. Fine Latin band operating 1940s, mostly in the New York City area.

    [ Floyd Campbell Orch. ]
b: Sept. 17, 1901, Helena, AK, USA. d: Sept. 30, 1993.
Instruments: Drums/Vocals/Leader
Floyd Campbell's band(s) were what we today called regional, or Territory Bands. He toured the Mid-west area, including St. Louis, South Bend, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The band was active in the mid-1920s to 1930.

Early on (ca. 1927), the personnel who played with the band included "Crack" Stanley ( tp), Nat Story (tb), Cliff Cochrane (sax), Sam Long (ts - later switched to as), Armand "Red" Brown (bjo), Jane Hemmingway (p), James Barlow (b), Floyd Campbell (d). During the 1928/9 years, several changes in personnel took place when Irving "Mouse" Randolph replaced Stanley, Clifford Byrdlong replaced Cliff Cochrane (sax), Cecil Thornthon (ts) -joined band in 1929, William "Cal" Calloway replaced Armand "Red" Brown on bjo, Gus Perryman replaced Jane Hemmingway on piano, and two men were added in late 1929, -Louis Acerheart (tp) - and Harvey Lankford (tb). In 1930, when Floyd Campbell went to Chicago, Harvey Lankford (trumpet) took over the band and re-named it the Harvey Lankford Syncro Hi-Hatters.

Campbell's father owned a barber shop and a Pool room in Helena, and Floyd attended the Helena school system and Philander College (not known if he matriculated.) In 1924, he relocated to St. Louis, where he first got a job as a waiter, and then began singing at clubs (such as Katie's Red) just for tips from the customers. Bandleader Charlie Creath heard him sing, and induced him to become a member of the band. In March 1924, the Creath band recorded some Blues numbers with Floyd on some of the vocals. Around 1924, drummer Zutty Singleton married Creath's sister Margie, the band's piano player. Campbell left Creath in 1925, and between 1925 and 1927, worked on Mississipppi River Boats with the Fate Marable Orch. He was singing with Marable's band, and was also heard on some New Orleans and St. Louis radio stations singing with the band.

In 1927, Campbell formed his own first band in St. Louis. Booking agents found work for the band that toured to Cincinnati, Louisville, and other midwest states, until the 1929 Economic Depression hit. Floyd returned very briefly to the Riverboats but soon joined his brother Wilbur in Chicago. While the great Economic Depression adversely affected Night Club bookings, the Dance Halls kept going strong. Floyd got some sidemen together, drilled them, bought uniforms, and started getting dance hall work. (Floyd was the drummer and vocalist.)

In private correspondence, Mr. David de Clue (a descendent of Harvey Lankford's Uncle, Joseph DeClue (his mother's brother), has been researching the old St. Louis Black newspapers, and has sent this quote from the Argus:
       RE: Floyd Campbell - Bennie Washington: Argus, September 18, 1931, p. 5, Musician's Chatterbox:
       "Floyd Campbell is playing with Dave Peyton at the newly opened Club Conga located at 35th & State Streets, in
       the Binga Bldg. Bennie Washington, formerly with Earl Hines, and Chas Lawson are playing with Walter and Barnes his
       popular orchestra."

Mr. de Clue further noted:
       "My father, it turns out, went to school with Fate Marable's daughter, here in St. Louis."

In 1935, Campbell married trumpeter Johnny Dunn's sister -a "Mrs Roberts" who led her own orchestra, which he took over and renamed The Roberts-Campbell Orch. Just three years later, in 1938, "Mrs Roberts" died. (Note: There was an orchestra called the "Cliff Roberts Orchestra" also active at this time, but I believe that it was just a pseudonym for the Smith Bellew Orchestra. This 'Mrs. Roberts' Orchestra' MAY have originally been the Bobby Roberts Orch.) In 1939, Floyd's band played opposite one of Nat "King" Cole's groups at the Warwick Hall in Chicago.

A reader has sent us this photo of the Floyd Campbell Orch., who, in 1940, was playing at a dance hall called the Parkway Ballroom ("built by Colored People for Colored People"). After this engagement, Floyd's band continued touring the midwest.

Subsequently, Campbell's band found work at a club called Rhumboogie, appearing along with the Jeter Pillars Band. Famed prizefighter Joe Louis bought the club, and brought in the Erskine Hawkins band (from Louis' home town in Alabama). The Hawkins band worked along with the Campbell band. When Hawkins departed, vocalist Sarah Vaughn was booked into the club, and was backed by Campbell's band. Alas, the U. S. Internal Revenue bureau closed down the club due to $10,000 in unpaid back taxes.

Both the Big Band era and World War 2 ended together, and Floyd went to work for the U. S. Post Office service, working there and retiring after 25 years.

    [ Pupi Campo Orch ]
Pupi lead a popular Latin band that influenced other Latin Big Bands such as Noro Morales, Jose Cabello and Tito Puente. Puente once recalled that Campo's style was, "rhythmically much different than most larger Latin bands. The "feelings of closeness" were not lost with Pupi's "sound'."

The band played a more main-stream style on radio in the late 1940's before moving onto TV in the early 1950's. In November 1953, Pupi joined the Jack Paar TV show, which ran for three years. Paar once said that, "The inimitable Pupi Campo was much happier when Betty Clooney (Rosemary's sister) (Rosemary is on the Right) joined the show." Pupi and Betty were married during the shows run.
Notes via Mr. Dan Del Fiorentino

    [ Cannon's Jug Stompers ]
The Jug Stompers led by Gus Cannon, may have been the best and most blues oriented of the Memphis Jug Bands that recorded for Victor from 1928 to 1930. The term 'band' is somewhat of a misnomer, because it was never more than a trio. But, such small groups of that genre were always called 'band or jug band'.

Two guitarists, Ashley Thompson and Elijah Avery, passed through the group's trio format in 1928, before vocalist Hosea Woods settled in to become the third member. The other members were leader Gus Cannon - playing a sort of mushing, syncopated banjo and a wild, swinging 'Jug', and harmonica player Noah Lewis.

The Jug Stompers played an interesting blend of the light-hearted melodies of 'medicine shows', combined with strutting ragtime pieces and deeply emotional Blues, - particularly when Noah Lewis took the vocal. Leader Gus Cannon's booming voice was more suited to the extrovert side of the Stomper's repertoire.

I have little information on the biographical dates of the group's members. Other than Cannon and Lewis, Woods died in the 1930's; Avery's subsequent history is unknown; Thompson was still playing in 1971, but died during the mid-1970's.

    [ Thomas "Mutt" Carey Band ]
né: Thomas Carey aka "Mutt" Carey and "Papa Mutt" Carey
b: March 8, 1891 New Orleans, LA; d: Sept. 3, 1948 San Francisco, CA
Mutt Carey's career began in old New Orleans. Both Mutt and his brother Jack could be frequently found leading old style brass bands in all of the parades that marched up and down Canal street. I always have this mental image of Mutt, in uniform, leading his little brass band up Canal street for a B.P.O. Elks, or similar, parade; pausing now and then from blowing his cornet, to wipe the sweat from his brow with a hankerchief.

"Papa Mutt" Carey was the first black New Orleans trumpeter to be recorded! The historic recording session took place in 1921 when Carey worked with Kid Ory's Sunshine Orchestra. Those first two songs were, "Ory's Creole Trombone," and "Society Blues."

Carey began his association with Ory in 1914 and took over the band when Ory left in 1925. The two men were re-united for a few years in the mid 1940's before Carey moved to New York. At that time, 1948, he formed Mutt Carey and His New Yorkers, which released a handful of songs including, "Cake Walking Babies."

In 1944 Nesushi Ertegun organized a band by putting together a host of New Orleans immortals including, Kid Ory, Jimmie Noone and Carey. Ertegun founded the Crescent Record label just to record the group. The success of the band grew and did the record company.

Carey played nonstop before his death in San Francisco at the age of 57.

In recent years, Ertegun bought the rights to the remaining masters of Carey's early recordings and released them on the Crescent label. Thanks to his efforts, those earliest recordings of jazz play on!
Notes by Mr. Dan Del Fiorentino

    [ Frankie Carle Orch ]
b. March 25, 1903, Providence, RI, USA. d: March 7, 2001, Mesa, AZ, USA. age 97
né: Francis Nunzio Carlone
Theme Song: "Sunrise Serenade"
Here's a photo of Frankie Carle, the pianist/leader who was billed as "The wizard of the keyboard". he was 'Simple and Direct' both in his playing and his person. In 1916 Frankie became the pianist in his uncle's orchestra for one dollar per week. Joined Edwin J. McEnelley's orchestra in early 1920's recording for Victor. Joined Mal Hallett's band in the mid 30's, and after a number of years with Hallett, he led his own band playing around New England. Wrote and played Sunrise Serenade with this group. Hired by Horace Heidt, where he gained his fame as a pianist.

In 1941 Eddie Duchin asked him to take over the Duchin band as Duchin was going into the navy. Eddie offered Frankie 25% of the gross. When Carle told this to Horace Heidt, Heidt offered him $1000.00 per week and 5% of the gross to stay. Frankie accepted Heidt's offer.

In 1944 he started his own band (with Heidt's help) Vocalist was Marjorie Hughes (actually Margie Carle). Story is that he was looking for a singer, and his wife slipped a record by his daughter into the stack of demos. He chose it, and when his wife told him who he was hiring, he changed her name to Marjorie Hughes so she could build her own rep. Walter Winchell let it out after her major hit "Oh, What It Seemed to Be"

    [ Ernie Carson and The Famous Castle Jazz Band ]
Carson is considered one of the top classic jazz cornetists of the 1970s-2000s. He was already playing trumpet when in grammar school, and was working in local theatre bands while still just a junior in High School. He subsequently played with the Castle Jazz Band ('54-'56), and someplace along his career, he has also learned to play the piano, -and on his own recordings is often also heard on vocals. During 1956-'58, Carson served in the Military services (U. S. Marines). Upon his service discharge, Carson continued his career playing in the Los Angeles area with groups that included Ray Bauduc (drums), Dave Wiebach (banjo) and Jig Adams (reeds). He also often backed vocalist Pat Yankee. He then became a member of Turk Murphy's group (1961-62). In 1972, Carson relocated to Atlanta, GA, and remained resident there until 1995, when he again relocated, this time to Oregon. He has often led his own groups including the Capital City Jazz Band (1972) and his own Castle Jazz band (1992). He most often plays the appealing tunes from the 1920s, with a band of hand-picked stellar Jazz players in the West Coast tradition (that at times included three Original 'Salty Dog'-ers and three ex-Turk Murphy-ers). Ernie continues his trademark of eschewing over-played standards in favor of unusual material from diverse sources (some sung in his compelling personalized barroom style) - all played hot by musicians used to playing that way. An exuberant and humorous singer, a Cornetist, a vocalist, and a pianist Carson has recorded as a leader for the group 'Pearl' (1964), and for such well known Jazz labels as Jazzology, GHB, Fat Cat's Jazz and Stomp Off Records.

Among the musicians with whom Ernie Carson (p, cn, voc) has worked are:
On his Stomp Off CD 1283 (1994), Bob Helm is used as a second clarinetist - Helm and Kim Cusack really cook some two-clarinet exchanges, - fun stuff and very entertaining.
Kim Cusack - cl, alt sx; Bob Helm - cl; Tom Bartlett - tm; Pete Clute - pn; Debbie Schreyer - bj; Bill Carroll -tu; Hal Smith - dm; Charles Bornemann - tm; John Otto - cl; Bill Rutan - bj/ voc; Hal Johnson - tu; Hal Smith - d; Tom Bartlett - tm; Pete Clute - pn; Bob Leary - bj; Don Kinch; George Bruns; Bob Short; Bob Gilbert; Freddie Crews; Monte Ballou; Homer Welch.

    [ Russ Carlton Orch. ]
b: May 26, 1926, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, USA. d. Dec. 21, 1975, Memphis, TN, USA.
né: Roswell Couture
Here's a photo of The Russ Carlton Orchestra taken ca. 1948. And, here's a good photo of Russ and Sax onstage. The name of the band, and leader playing trumpet behind Russ, is not known.

In private correspondence, Russ Carlton's son, George, has advised that:

       "My dads big band was formed after wold war ll, in 1948. He studied
       his music in Washington D.C., while still in the U.S. Navy. In
       addition to leading, and playing tenor saxophone, he was also the band's
       arranger. He also formed the 'Headliner Band' in 1958. Russ Carlton's band
       performed in many cities, including Detroit, Toronto (Canada), and many
       venues in the southeast and northeast."

Tom Lord's discography shows that Carlton recorded 8 times between 1963-'66.
The BigBands Database Plus thanks Mr George Couture for the above information on his father's band.

    [ Emilio Caceres Y Sus Orquesta ]
b. Dec. 31, 1897, d. Dec. 31, 1980
Emilio was inspired to become a Jazz violinist by listening to Joe Venuti. In the 1930s and '40s, Emilio Caceres led his own San Antonio based family band. It was a very musical family consisting of Emilio Caceres (violinist), Ernie (cl & bs) and Pinero (tp & p), and their cousins Johnny Gomez (g) and Henry Falcon Cuesta (cl & as).

All during the 1930s, the Emilio Caceres Trio was an active group featuring the violinist Emilio, and his saxophonist brother, Ernie, playing with guitarist Johnny Gomez. A highlight of the trio's career was a perfomance on the national 'Camel Caravan' radio show, hosted by Benny Goodman.

In the late 1930s, Emilio's band cut a series of sides for RCA's Victor and Bluebird labels. The band's repertoire indicates that they were strongly influenced by both "Norteño" and "Tex-Mex" styles. Among their "Norteño" Pop and Jazz releases were such tunes as "Jig in G", "Humoresque in Swing Time", "Runnin' Wild", "I Got Rhythm", "What's the Use?" and "Who's Sorry Now?"

Among their "Tex-Mex" releases were such tunes as "The Last Roundup", and "Amor Y Misterios". Listen now to 'Emilio Caceres Y Sus Orquesta Del Club Aguila' playing "Alla En El Rancho Grande", with vocal by Herrera and Quiroga. (Mexican Victor 75094-A).

His brothers, pianist and trumpeter Pinero Caceres, and Bari-saxist Ernie Caceres (b. Nov. 22, 1911, Rockport, Texas, USA, d. Jan. 10, 1971), also performed with the band. Ernie eventually became a member of the Jack Teagarden and Glenn Miller orchestras. (Ernie Caceres, as a member of Glenn Miller Orchestra, appeared in two films: 'Orchestra Wives' (1942), and 'Sun Valley Serenade' (1941).)