Ted "Mohawk" Sturgis (25 April 1913 – 18 October 1995) 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 ...

bassist.

Life and career

Born in

Cape Charles, Virginia Cape Charles is a town / municipal corporation in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,009 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 Census. History Cape Charles, located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, on ...

, Sturgis started his music studies on piano at age five. He also played alto saxophone, guitar and drums in addition to bass. He primarily played

double-bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

, although he played

electric bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck The ...

on some recordings late in life. In 1934 he moved to New York City to join

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from t ...

and his band with whom he played in 1934-1935. Others he played with in New York included Jacques Butler (1935),

Blanche Calloway Blanche Dorothea Jones Calloway (February 9, 1902 – December 16, 1978) was an American jazz singer, composer, and bandleader. She was the older sister of Cab Calloway and was a successful singer before her brother. With a music career that spa ...

(1936),

Tommy Stevenson Tommy Stevenson (February 21, 1914 – October 1944) was a jazz trumpet player in the big band era. He was the first high note trumpeter to be featured on recordings. Nicknamed "Steve," Tommy joined Jimmie Lunceford's band in 1933, and recordin ...

(1936–1937), and

Eddie Mallory Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology * Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

(1937–1938). He appeared on a 1943 Eldridge recording for Brunswick. He then worked as a sideman in the 1940s with, among others,

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song "If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, alo ...

, and

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 ...

. He was a frequent accompanist of female singers such as

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

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 ...

, and in

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

' orchestra with

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 ...

.Gourse, Leslie (2009) ''Sassy: The Life of Sarah Vaughan'', p. 21. Da Capo Press
At Google Books. Retrieved 6 July 2013. In the 1950s and 1960s Sturgis worked extensively as a freelance musician, and played often in

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

events. His credits aside from bass playing include guitar with

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

and drums with

. He recorded his last dates as a leader in 1976 but continued to play into the 1980s with

Spanky Davis Ronald J. "Spanky" Davis (March 6, 1943 – October 23, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter. Career Davis worked with Charlie Palmieri (1979), Sam Jones (1979–82), Machito (1980–81), and Benny Goodman (1982–83). He toured Ireland with Al ...

, eventually retiring around the end of the decade.

Discography

, ''Don Byas in Paris'' (Prestige, 1968) *

, ''Benny Carter 1928–1952'' (RCA Victor, 1992) *

, ''Swing Along with Little Jazz'' (MCA Coral, 1974) * Roy Eldridge, '' What It's All About'' (Pablo, 1976) *

, ''The Golden Years'' (Columbia, 1967)

References

* Ted Sturgisat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgis, Ted 1913 births 1995 deaths American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians