William C. "Buster" Bailey (July 19, 1902 – April 12, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist.

Career history

Early career

Buster Bailey was taught clarinet by classical teacher Franz Schoepp, who also taught

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

. Bailey gained his start with W.C. Handy's Orchestra in 1917, when he was just fifteen years old. After two years of touring with Handy, Bailey quit the orchestra while the band was in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 1919, Bailey joined Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra and remained with Tate until 1923 when he joined up with

Joe "King" Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of Mute (music), mutes in jazz. Also a notable c ...

. As a member of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Bailey met and became friends with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, who was also a member of the band at that time. In 1924, Armstrong left King Oliver's Jazz Band to join Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in New York. Within a month, Armstrong extended an invitation for Buster Bailey to join him as a member of Henderson's band. Bailey accepted and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Mid-career

In New York during the late 1920s, Buster Bailey became a highly respected

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...

with

Perry Bradford Perry Bradford (February 14, 1893, Montgomery, Alabama – April 20, 1970, New York City) was an American composer, songwriter, and vaudeville performer. His most notable songs included "Crazy Blues," "That Thing Called Love," and "You Can't Kee ...

and others, and appeared on numerous recordings playing both the clarinet and the

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

. Bailey performed on a number of Clarence Williams recordings. In 1927, he left Fletcher Henderson and undertook a tour of Europe with Noble Sissle's Orchestra. After his return, Bailey performed with several other jazz musicians, including

Edgar Hayes Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1902 – June 28, 1979) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, Hayes attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920s. ...

and Dave Nelson. He rejoined Sissle's orchestra in 1931 and continued with the group through 1933. In 1934, Bailey briefly returned to Fletcher Henderson, but by the end of the year he had settled down as a member of the John Kirby Band. Bailey remained a member of Kirby's band until 1946, but that did not stop him from performing with other artists. In 1934 and 1935, Bailey was playing with the

Mills Blue Rhythm Band The Mills Blue Rhythm Band was an American big band active during the 1930s. The band was formed in New York City, United States, in 1930 by drummer Willie Lynch as the Blue Rhythm Band, and then briefly operated as the Coconut Grove Orchestra. ...

and, in 1937, he was a session player for Midge Williams and Her Jazz Jesters. He also recorded music during this time as Buster Bailey and His Rhythm Busters.

Later career

In 1946, Buster Bailey led his own band, but his group lasted for only the year. In 1947, he joined Wilbur de Paris and performed with him until 1949. During the early 1950s, Bailey was with

Big Chief Russell Moore "Big Chief" Russell Moore (August 13, 1912 – December 15, 1983) was an American jazz trombonist. Moore, a Pima tribe member, grew up on a Native American reservation before moving to Chicago and then Los Angeles where he learned to play vari ...

, but for most of the decade Bailey played with

Henry "Red" Allen Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstr ...

. From 1961 to 1963, he performed with

Wild Bill Davison William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they p ...

. Bailey was with the Saints And Sinners from 1963 to 1964, and in 1965 he rejoined Armstrong and became a member of Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars. Buster Bailey died in April 1967 of a heart attack. He was living in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, at the time.

Screen appearances

Buster Bailey appeared on film three times during his career. The first was in a film entitled '' That's the Spirit'' (1933) in which he played himself as a band member. The second was as an uncredited clarinetist in ''

Sepia Cinderella ''Sepia Cinderella'' is a 1947 American musical race film directed by Arthur H. Leonard. The film is notable for musical numbers by vocalists Billy Daniels and Sheila Guyse, and for a brief guest appearance by former child star Freddie Bartholo ...

'' (1947) as part of the John Kirby Sextet. His final film appearance was with Louis Armstrong in ''

When the Boys Meet the Girls ''When the Boys Meet the Girls'' is a 1965 American musical film directed by Alvin Ganzer and starring Connie Francis and Harve Presnell based on the musical ''Girl Crazy'' and a remake of MGM's 1943 film ''Girl Crazy''. Plot A playboy (Harve ...

'' (1965), again as a musician. He also appeared in 1958 in the DuMont TV series ''

Jazz Party 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 major f ...

'' and in 1961 on the TV program ''

The DuPont Show of the Week ''The DuPont Show of the Week'' is an American television anthology drama series which aired for three seasons on NBC from September 17, 1961 to August 30, 1964. It was nominated one time for an Edgar Allan Poe Award and eight times for Primet ...

'' in an episode entitled "America's Music - Chicago and All That Jazz".

Discography

As leader

* ''

All About Memphis ''All About Memphis'' is an album by clarinetist Buster Bailey which was recorded in 1958 and released on the Felsted label.

'' (Felsted, 1958) * ''1925–1940'' (Classics)

As sideman

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstr ...

, ''

Red Allen, Kid Ory & Jack Teagarden at Newport Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstr ...

'' (Verve, 1957) * Red Allen, ''Ride, Red, Ride in Hi-Fi'' (RCA Victor, 1957) * Red Allen, ''Red Allen Plays King Oliver'' (Verve, 1961) *

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentimenta ...

, ''Her Greatest Performances 1929–1946'' (Columbia, 1962) *

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote ''Shuffle Along'', one of the first Bro ...

, ''The Marches I Played On the Old Ragtime Piano'' (20th Fox, 1960) *

, ''Swingin'' (Dixie Bear, 1962) *

Vic Dickenson Victor Dickenson (August 6, 1906 – November 16, 1984) was an American jazz trombonist. His career began in the 1920s and continued through musical partnerships with Count Basie (1940–41), Sidney Bechet (1941), and Earl Hines. Life and care ...

& Joe Thomas, ''Mainstream'' (Atlantic, 1958) *

Bobby Donaldson Robert Stanley "Bobby" Donaldson (November 29, 1922, Boston – 1971) was an American jazz and R&B drummer. After playing locally in the early 1940s, Donaldson played with Russell Procope while serving in the Army in New York City. In 1946–47 ...

, ''Dixieland New York'' (World Wide, 1958) * Bobby Donaldson, ''Dixieland Jazz Party'' (Savoy, 1959) *

Leonard Gaskin Leonard Gaskin (August 25, 1920 – January 24, 2009) was an American jazz bassist born in New York City. Gaskin played on the early bebop scene at Minton's and Monroe's in New York in the early 1940s. In 1944 he took over Oscar Pettiford's ...

, ''At the Jazz Band Ball'' (Prestige Swingville, 1962) *

Ronnie Gilbert Ruth Alice "Ronnie" Gilbert (September 7, 1926 – June 6, 2015), was an American folk singer, songwriter, actress and political activist. She was one of the original members of the music quartet the Weavers, as a contralto with Pete Seeger, Le ...

, ''In Hi-Fi: The Legend of Bessie Smith'' (RCA Victor,, 1958) *

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

, ''Jackie Gleason Presents Lazy Lively Love'' (Capitol, 1960) *

Juanita Hall Juanita Hall (née Long, November 6, 1901 – February 29, 1968) was an American musical theatre and film actress. She is remembered for her roles in the original stage and screen versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals '' South Pacific ...

, ''The Original Bloody Mary Sings the Blues'' (Counterpoint, 1958) *

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...

, ''The Big Reunion'' (Jazztone, 1958) * Fletcher Henderson, ''Swing's the Thing 1931–1934'' (Decca, 1961) *

Claude Hopkins Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader. Biography Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his ...

, ''Music of the Early Jazz Dances'' (20th Fox, 1958) *

Alberta Hunter Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) was an American jazz and blues singer and songwriter from the early 1920s to the late 1950s. After twenty years of working as a nurse, Hunter resumed her singing career in 1977. Early life Hu ...

& Lucille Hegamin & Victoria Spivey, ''Songs We Taught Your Mother'' (Prestige Bluesville, 1962) *

Henry Jerome Henry Jerome (November 12, 1917 – March 23, 2011) was an American big band leader, trumpeter, arranger, composer, and record company executive. Jerome formed his first dance band in 1932 in Norwich, Connecticut. His bands flourished throughou ...

, ''Strings in Dixieland'' (Decca, 1962) *

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

, ''Sometimes I Feel Like Cryin'' (RCA Victor, 1962) *

Jimmy Rushing James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948. Rushing was known as " Mr. Five by ...

, ''Bessie Clara Mamie & Trixie'' (Columbia, 1961) * Clarence Williams, ''1935'' (Almac, 1960)

Filmography

Resources

* Kernfeld, Barry, ed. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', vol. 1. London: Macmillan Publishers, Ltd., 2002. * Larkin, Colin, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', vol. 1. London: Macmillan Reference, Ltd., 1998. * Panassie-Gautier, ''Dictionnaire du Jazz'', 1972

References

External links

Buster Bailey
Red Hot Jazz Archive
Buster Bailey recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Buster 1902 births 1967 deaths African-American woodwind musicians American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists African-American jazz musicians 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Mills Blue Rhythm Band members Saints & Sinners (jazz band) members 20th-century African-American musicians