Walter Thomas (musician)
Walter Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Foots Thomas |
| Born | February 10, 1907 Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 1981 (aged 74) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Saxophone, flute |
Walter Purl "Foots" Thomas (February 10, 1907 – August 26, 1981)[1] was an American saxophonist, flutist, and arranger in Cab Calloway's orchestra, one of the most famous bands of the swing era in jazz.
Early life
[edit]Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Thomas moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he played in Ed Allen's Whispering Band of Gold in the early 1920s.[2] In 1924, he recorded with Fate Marable's Society Orchestra.[3]
Career
[edit]In 1927, Thomas moved to New York City, where he played with the New Orleans pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton[4] and Joe Steele. He then joined The Missourians in 1929, just before Calloway took the band over. Among his arrangements was Calloway's 1931 hit song, "Minnie the Moocher."[5]
In 1943, he left Calloway's orchestra to work with the saxophonist and composer Don Redman. He led a 1944 recording session with sidemen including Coleman Hawkins, Hilton Jefferson, Eddie Barefield, and Jonah Jones;[6] another session that year featured Ben Webster, Budd Johnson, and Emmett Berry.[7]
During the mid-1940s he taught at a studio on West 48th Street in New York City; among his students was the hard bop alto saxophonist Jackie McLean.[8] In the 1950s he became a manager and booking agent; he worked for the Shaw Artists Corporation,[9] and for a time one of his clients was the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.[10]
Thomas was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996.
Personal life
[edit]Thomas's older sister was the chef and author Cleora Butler;[11] his younger brother was the alto saxophonist and songwriter Joe Thomas.[12]
Thomas lived with his wife, Marlyne, and their children in Englewood, New Jersey, near his old friend the trombonist Tyree Glenn, with whom he spent much time in retirement.[13] He died from cancer on August 26, 1981.
References
[edit]- ^ "Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame". Okjazz.org. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ Hennessey, T.J. (1994). From Jazz to Swing: African-American Jazz Musicians and Their Music, 1890-1935. Wayne State University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780814321799. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Danny Barker : NEA Jazz Master (1991) : Transcript" (PDF). Amhistory.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ John Murph (2002-09-04). "NPR's Jazz Profiles: Cab Calloway". Npr.org. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "Walter Thomas". Papabecker.com. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ Bastin, B.; Lornell, K. (2012). The Melody Man: Joe Davis and the New York Music Scene, 1916-1978. University Press of Mississippi. p. 135. ISBN 9781617032769. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "NEA Jazz Masters | NEA". Arts.gov. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2003-10-04. p. 22. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "Walter Thomas, 74 - Calloway Saxophonist". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "Butler, by the book - Tulsa World: Archives". Tulsaworld.com. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "Walter "Foots" Thomas | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ "Marlyne Thomas in the 1940 Census | Ancestry". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
Bibliography
[edit]- Schuller, Gunther. The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930–1945 (1991), Oxford Paperbacks ISBN 0-19-507140-9
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