William John Crump (November2, 1907 – October26, 1979) was an American jazz musician, who played alto and tenor saxophone,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, and oboe. He is remembered today mainly as one of the 57 musicians pictured in Art Kane's 1958 photograph ''

A Great Day in Harlem ''A Great Day in Harlem'' or ''Harlem 1958'' is a black-and-white photograph of 57 jazz musicians in Harlem, Manhattan, Harlem, New York, taken by freelance photographer Art Kane for ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine on August 12, 1958. ...

'', which appeared in the January 1959 issue of ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine. At the time, Crump was playing in

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

s at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

and Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York.

Biography

Crump was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa on November2, 1907, and spent his teenage years in

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

. In 1927, he was playing lead saxophone with a band called The Virginia Ravens, when Eddie Barefield joined it in Geneseo, Illinois, and was apparently still traveling with them in 1930. In the mid-1930s, Crump was a member of J.Frank Terry's touring band, the Chicago Nightingales, which included trumpeters Dick Vance and Francis Williams (in whose truck the band covered 50,000 miles over a six-month period during 1934). (Includes photo of Crump with the Chicago Nightingales). At around this time, he settled in Buffalo, New York, where he played at the numerous local venues where

swing music Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

was featured. In 1947, it was reported that the "Bill Crump Band had moved into the Heatwave, Buffalo", suggesting a residency at the club. Ten years on, but in the same city, Crump was leading a quartet called the Los Chamacos Group at the Latonas (formerly the Copa Casino). A music journalist observed that the ensemble had "a lot of personality to keep you watching with your ears open", and also noted that in his career, Crump had worked with musicians such as

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

Al Hibbler Albert George Hibbler (August 16, 1915 – April 24, 2001) was an American baritone vocalist, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra before having several pop hits as a solo artist. Some of Hibbler's singing is classified as rhythm and blue ...

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Ba ...

Joyce Bryant Joyce Bryant (October 14, 1927 – November 20, 2022) was an American singer, dancer, and civil rights activist who achieved fame in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a theater and nightclub performer. With her signature silver hair and tight m ...

, "Dinah", and also Sammy Davis Jr. Crump was active in the Buffalo branch ("local 533") of the Colored Musicians Union, of which he was vice-president from 1949 to 1952. He was also a member of the historic

Colored Musicians Club Colored Musicians Club is a historic jazz club located Buffalo, New York. Opened in 1935, it is home to the oldest continuously operating African American musicians' organization in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of ...

. In a 1994 interview, contemporary Conrad Toepfer Jr. recalled that "there was so much talent at The Club. I mean guys like Bob and Bill Crump. Bill Crump had worked, with the Count Basie Band". In later life, Crump played for various Las Vegas shows. In 1976, he moved with his wife Marie to Los Angeles, where he is known to have played some gigs with

Streamline Ewing John Richard "Streamline" Ewing (January 19, 1917 – February 1, 2002) was an American jazz trombonist. Career In 1934, Ewing began his career when he was seventeen. Four years later he was with Horace Henderson, then with Earl Hines live and on ...

and Jimmy Cheatham.

Notes

References

20th-century American male musicians American male saxophonists American jazz alto saxophonists American jazz tenor saxophonists American jazz flautists American jazz clarinetists 1907 births 1979 deaths American jazz musicians {{US-jazz-musician-stub