Zack Whyte (sometimes spelled Zach Whyte) (1898 – March 10, 1967) 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 ...

bandleader, best known for leading the

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 ...

the Chocolate Beau Brummels.

Biography

Whyte was born in 1898 in

Richmond, Kentucky Richmond is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is home to Eastern Kentucky University. In 2019, the population was 36,157. Richmond is the fourth-la ...

. He studied at

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

, where he played banjo with

Horace Henderson Horace W. Henderson (November 22, 1904 – August 29, 1988), the younger brother of Fletcher Henderson, was an American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and bandleader. Henderson was born in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States. While later a ...

and arranged pieces for him. He led his own

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

-based bands from the early 1920s, and put together the Chocolate Beau Brummels late in the decade. This ensemble recorded for

Gennett 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 ...

, Supertone, and

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

in 1929, amounting to about ten tunes. Some of the recordings were released under the names "Eddie Walker & His Band" and "Smoke Jackson & His Red Onions". Whyte died on March 10, 1967 in Kentucky.

Legacy

Among those who played in Whyte's bands were Herman Chittison,

Jerry Blake Jerry Blake (January 23, 1908 – December 31, 1961) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist. Early life Blake was born "Jacinto Chabania" in Gary, Indiana and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He played violin before switching to ...

Truck Parham Charles Valdez "Truck" Parham (January 25, 1911 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz double-bassist. Parham was born in Chicago and was first a professional sportsman: he was a boxer and played football with the Chicago Negro All Stars. He pl ...

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Al Sears Albert Omega Sears (February 21, 1910 – March 23, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader, sometimes credited as Big Al Sears. Sears was born in Macomb, Illinois, United States. His first major gig came in 1928 when he r ...

. Whyte's entire discography was reissued to CD on a

Jazz Oracle 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 ...

compilation, ''Richmond Rarities 1927-31''.

References

Zack Whyte Zack Whyte (sometimes spelled Zach Whyte) (1898 – March 10, 1967) was an American jazz bandleader, best known for leading the territory band the Chocolate Beau Brummels. Biography Whyte was born in 1898 in Richmond, Kentucky. He studied at Wilbe ...

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:Whyte, Zack American jazz bandleaders Gennett Records artists 1898 births 1967 deaths