Clarence Leonard Hayes (November 14, 1908 β March 13, 1972)
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 ...
vocalist and banjo player.
Early life
Hayes was born in
Caney, Kansas
Caney is a city in Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,788.
History
Caney was founded in 1869. It was named from the Caney River. The first post office in Caney was established in ...
, on November 14, 1908.
As a child, he learned the drums, then switched to guitar and banjo.
Later life and career
Hayes was part of a vaudeville troupe in the Midwest after 1923, and lived in San Francisco from 1927.
He became more popular in the 1930s through radio and club performances.
From 1938 to 1940 he played in a big band led by
Lu Watters
Lucius Carl Watters (December 19, 1911 β November 5, 1989) was a trumpeter and bandleader of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band. Jazz critic Leonard Feather said, βThe Yerba Buena band was perhaps the most vital factor in the reawakening of public i ...
, after which he spent a decade with the Yerba Buena Jazz Band, playing rhythm banjo and, on occasion, drums.
He spent almost all of the 1950s singing with
Bob Scobey
Robert Alexander Scobey Jr. (December 9, 1916 – June 12, 1963) was an American jazz trumpet player of traditional or Dixieland music based originally in the San Francisco area and later in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in Tucumcari, New Mex ...
's band.
In the 1960s he led his own bands, which also recorded for various labels.
He also played with the
Firehouse Five Plus Two
The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a Dixieland jazz band, popular in the 1950s, consisting of members of the Disney animation department. Leader and trombonist Ward Kimball was inspired to form the band after spending time with members of the Disn ...
,
Turk Murphy
Melvin Edward Alton "Turk" Murphy (December 16, 1915 β 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 ...
, and a group that evolved into the
World's Greatest Jazz Band The World's Greatest Jazz Band was an all-star jazz ensemble active from 1968 to 1978.
Dick Gibson founded the group at his sixth Jazz Party, an annual event. The group performed mostly Dixieland jazz and recorded extensively. It was co-led by ...
.
As a vocalist, "Hayes was noted for his straightforward singing of ballads and his flamboyant delivery of livelier songs."
He died in San Francisco on March 13, 1972.
Discography
* ''Clancy Hayes and His Washboard Five'' (Down Home, 1951)
* ''Cakewalk to Lindy Hop'' (Columbia, 1956)
* ''Clancy Hayes Sings'' (Verve, 1957)
* ''Clancy Hayes' Dixieland Band'' (Audio Fidelity, 1960)
* ''Swingin' Minstrel'' (Good Time Jazz, 1963)
* ''Oh! By Jingo'' (Delmark, 1964)
* ''Happy Melodies'' (ABC-Paramount, 1965)
* ''Live at Earthquake McGoon's'' (ABC-Paramount, 1966)
* ''More of Manassas'' (Fat Cat Jazz, 1969)
* ''Mr. Hayes Goes to Washington'' (Clanco, 1972)
* ''Satchel of Song'' (San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation, 2001)
With
Bob Scobey
Robert Alexander Scobey Jr. (December 9, 1916 – June 12, 1963) was an American jazz trumpet player of traditional or Dixieland music based originally in the San Francisco area and later in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in Tucumcari, New Mex ...
* ''The San Francisco Jazz of Bob Scobey'' (Verve, 1957)
* ''Between 18th and 19th on Any Street'' (RCA Victor, 1957)
* ''Beauty and the Beat'' (RCA Victor, 1957)
* ''Direct from San Francisco!'' (Good Time Jazz, 1957)
* ''Scobey & Clancy Raid the Juke Box'' (California, 1958)
* ''College Classics'' (RCA Victor, 1958)
References
External links
Lu Watters and His World Famous Yerba Buena Jazz Band featuring a live performance by Clancy Hayes.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Clancy
1908 births
1972 deaths
People from Parsons, Kansas
People from Caney, Kansas
American jazz singers
American jazz banjoists
American jazz guitarists
Singers from Kansas
20th-century American singers
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Kansas
American male guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
World's Greatest Jazz Band members
Yerba Buena Jazz Band members