Frank Shelton "Red" Perkins (December 26, 1890 – September 27, 1976) 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 major ...

trumpet player, singer, and bandleader. Perkins led of one of the oldest

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

-based jazz

territory band Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...

s, The Dixie Ramblers, and saw his greatest period of success in the 1920s and 1930s.

Early life

Perkins, who was

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, was born in Muchakinock,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, a coal mining camp near Oskaloosa, Iowa. As an adult, Perkins moved from Oskaloosa to

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

, Iowa. In 1917, Perkins moved with his wife and child to Omaha, Nebraska. He got a job as a porter at a barber shop and worked there from 1917 to 1925.

Career

In 1923, Perkins took over the Omaha Night Owls jazz band and renamed them the Dixie Ramblers. Perkins based his band in Omaha's Near North Side. It was a small band with six players but several of the musicians doubled on different instruments. The Dixie Ramblers quickly grew into a medium-sized jazz

. The

National Orchestra Service The National Orchestra Service, Inc. (NOS), was the most important booking and management agency for territory bands across the Great Plains and other regions from the early 1930s through 1960. NOS managed black, white and integrated orchestras and ...

booked the band from 1923 into the 1940s. In 1932, he joined with harmonica player O.P. Alexander and they performed on radio station WFAA until 1934. Perkins and his band were signed by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

in 1936 and later released music on

Gennett Records Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and H ...

. The band cut more than 250 sides of records. The band played in ballrooms, theaters, and hotels in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota. One of the Dixie Rambler's most famous songs was "Hard Times Stomp."Alt URL
The jazz band was known for its variety acts and floor shows. Perkins' bookings were handled by

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

Personal life

Towards the end of the big band era in the late 1940s, Perkins moved to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and became a professional photographer. He died September 27, 1976 in

Selected discography

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Dixie Ramblers recorded for

. * Red Perkins and His Dixie Ramblers : Frank "Red" Perkins (t, as, ss, v) dir. Joe Drake (t, cl, ts, arr), Andre C. Oglesby (tb), Jesse Simmons (cl, as ,ts), Howard Fields (p), Charles “Goodie” Watkins (bjo, gtr), Eugene Freels (t, bb), Harry Rooks (d-x), trio (v). * Richmond, Indiana, May 5, 1931 # 17727-A: "Hard Times Stomp" (Perkins) Ch 40044 # 17728-A: "My Baby Knows How" (Davis-Akst-Richman) - vFP Ch 16661 * Richmond, Indiana, May 6, 1931 # 17729-A: "Old Man Blues" (Paul, Ellington, Mills) - v3 Ch 40044 # 17730: "Minor Blues" (Perkins) Ch 16288

Members of The Dixie Ramblers

Anna Mae Winburn Anna Mae Winburn ''(née'' Darden; August 13, 1913 – September 30, 1999) was an influential American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid-1930s. An African American, she is best known for having directed the Interna ...

, singer * Bill Osboen * Charlie "Big" Green, trombone * Charlie Watkins * Harry Fooks *

Jabbo Smith Jabbo Smith (born Cladys Smith; December 24, 1908 – January 16, 1991) was an American jazz musician, known for his virtuoso playing on the trumpet. Biography Smith was born in Pembroke, Georgia, United States. At the age of six he went into ...

, trumpet * Jay Green * Jim Alexander

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Red American jazz bandleaders American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American bandleaders Big band bandleaders Western swing performers Swing bandleaders Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Gennett Records artists King Records artists People from Mahaska County, Iowa Musicians from Minneapolis 1890 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American singers 20th-century trumpeters Singers from Minnesota Jazz musicians from Minnesota Jazz musicians from Nebraska 20th-century American male singers American male jazz musicians Musicians from Iowa