Robert Alexander Scobey Jr. (December 9, 1916 – June 12, 1963)
was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
trumpet player of traditional or
Dixieland
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...
music based originally in the
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
area and later in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. He was born in
Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established.
History
In 1901, the Chicago, ...
,
and died in
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, Canada.
Early life
Scobey was born in
Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established.
History
In 1901, the Chicago, ...
in 1916 but his family moved to
Stockton, California before his first birthday and lived there until 1930. His mother bought him a
cornet when he was nine. He practiced enough to be in the school band, but thought he wanted to be a chemist. After his family moved to
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...
in 1930, his high school band director recognized his ability and encouraged him to study with good musicians. He studied with the band director, then with a former member of the
Goldman Goldman is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alan J. Goldman (1932–2010), American expert in operations research
* Alan H. Goldman (born 1945), American philosopher
* Alan S. Goldman (born 1958), American chemist
*Alain ...
band and then a member of the
San Francisco Symphony. After high school graduation in 1934, he decided to be a musician after realizing that musicians made more money than chemists.
Professional Life
He began his career playing in dance orchestras, theater pit bands, and nightclubs in the 1930s. In 1938, he joined a band organized by trumpeter
Lu Watters
Lucius Carl Watters (December 19, 1911 – November 5, 1989) was a trumpeter and bandleader of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band. Jazz critic Leonard Feather said, “The Yerba Buena band was perhaps the most vital factor in the reawakening of public i ...
to play in Sweet's Ballroom in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. Two years later, when Watters organized the traditional jazz band, the
Yerba Buena Jazz Band
Lu Watters & the Yerba Buena Jazz Band is the name of an American traditional jazz revival band founded by Lu Watters in 1940. Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco, California. Notable members included singer and banjoist Clancy Hay ...
, he joined it.
(
Yerba Buena
Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. ''Yerba buena'' translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as ''yerba buena'' varies from region to regi ...
was the original name for
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.) Except for three and a half years, from 1942 to 1946, when Scobey served in the
U. S. Army during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he remained in the band. In addition to Watters and Scobey, the band included
Bob Helm,
Clancy Hayes,
Squire Girsback,
Russ Bennett, and
Turk Murphy
Melvin Edward Alton "Turk" Murphy (December 16, 1915 – May 30, 1987) was an American trombonist and bandleader, who played traditional and Dixieland jazz.
Biography
He was born in Palermo, California, United States. Murphy served in the Nav ...
. Jazz critic and producer
Nesuhi Ertegun
Nesuhi Ertegun ( Turkish spelling: Nesuhi Ertegün; November 26, 1917 – July 15, 1989) was a Turkish-American record producer and executive of Atlantic Records and WEA International.
Early life
Born in Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire, Nesuhi ...
says, "Waters and Scobey, with Turk Murphy on trombone, were to constitute one of the most powerful and exciting brass teams in the history of traditional jazz." The two trumpet players, Watters and Scobey, switched back and forth playing first and second trumpet during this period. In 1946 the reorganized band performed in the Dawn Club in San Francisco, then the next year moved to Hambone Kelly's in
El Cerrito across the bay.
In late 1949 he left to lead his own band, Bob Scobey's Frisco Band
because he was tired of the volume and regular two-beat rhythm of Watters.
Clancy Hayes joined the band to sing and play banjo. Scobey was a natural leader, full of new ideas and new tunes. He was complemented by Hayes, "whose lazy southern charm" defined the band. The collaboration recorded over two hundred tracks, including Hayes' own compositions, such as "Huggin' and a Chalkin'," before he left in 1959 to follow a solo career.
From 1950, the group had a three-year residency at Victor & Roxie's in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, where the band "met with instant and rapidly growing public support." The band also started recording on the
Good Time Jazz label in April 1950. The Frisco Band was broadcast in 1952 and 1953 on
Rusty Draper
Farrell Haliday "Rusty" Draper (January 25, 1923 – March 28, 2003) was an American country and pop singer-songwriter and radio and TV host who achieved his greatest success in the 1950s.
Biography
Born in Kirksville, Missouri, United State ...
's television show. In 1953,
Louis Armstrong sang with them at the
Pasadena Civic Auditorium
The Pasadena Convention Center is a convention center in Pasadena, California. It consists of three buildings.
Pasadena Civic Auditorium
The Civic Auditorium, one of the major structures in the Pasadena Civic Center District, was built in 1931 ...
. In 1953 the band moved to one of the largest nightclubs on the west coast, the Rancho Grande in
Lafayette, California
Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War.
...
, near Berkeley. From 1954-57,
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
blues singer
Lizzie Miles
Elizabeth Mary Landreaux (March 31, 1895 – March 17, 1963), known by the stage name Lizzie Miles, was an Afro-Creole of color, Creole blues singer in the United States.
Biography
Miles was born in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orle ...
recorded and toured with the band.
In 1955, Scobey and his band played dates at
San Quentin Prison
San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County.
Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...
and at the Rancho Grande in
Lafayette, California
Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War.
...
— a sizable roadhouse with a dance floor. In 1957, he recorded for
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...
and
RCA Victor. An important and successful album for RCA was ''
Bing with a Beat'' recorded with
Bing Crosby in 1957. From early in 1956, he toured colleges and universities and, in 1958, he recorded many of the student favorites in New York, the album ''College Classics'' (RCA Victor LPM 1700).
In 1959 Scobey and the band moved to his own club, Club Bourbon Street in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, and toured extensively in the Midwest,
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, New York, and San Francisco. While touring in 1960, he was reportedly drinking
half and half
"Half and half" is the name of various beverages and foods made of an equal-parts mixture of two substances, including dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks.
Alcoholic beverages Belgium
In some cafés in Brussels, a "half en ...
or heavy
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
to ease the pain in his stomach.
He died of cancer on June 2, 1963 in
Montreal, Canada
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, where he had gone for an experimental cancer treatment.
[''Rough Guide'']
Death
Scobey died of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in 1963 in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, Canada. His wife Jan produced a biography entitled ''He Rambled!'', and arranged for his band to form again and record some blues songs. She also saw to the reissuing of his albums.
References
Sources
*Carr, I,
Fairweather D, Priestley, P. (2000). ''Jazz: The Rough Guide''. Rough Guides.
*Ertegün, Nesuhi. (1952). ''Bob Frisco's Band Part II''
lbum Good Time Jazz.
External Links
* Hal Smith, ''The San Francisco Jazz Foundation Collection: Great Revival Musicians: Bob Scobey'', https://exhibits.stanford.edu/sftjf/feature/bob-scobey
1916 births
1963 deaths
Deaths from cancer in Quebec
Dixieland jazz musicians
People from Tucumcari, New Mexico
20th-century American musicians
Musicians from New Mexico
American jazz trumpeters
American male trumpeters
20th-century trumpeters
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Yerba Buena Jazz Band members
Good Time Jazz Records artists
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