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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCHEATHAM, Doc(b Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, 13 June '05, Nashville TN; d 2 June '97, Washington DC) Trumpet; a first-class lead player in big bands for decades, his charm and skill as a soloist and entertainer was long overlooked, but he outlasted almost everybody, playing as well as ever. To Chicago playing cornet and reeds mid-'20s, recorded with Ma Rainey on soprano. With Wilbur De Paris '27--8, to Europe with Sam Wooding '27--9, with Cab Calloway '33--9 with intervals; Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson '39--41; Eddie Heywood '43--5, also teaching NYC; Marcelino Guerra '47--50, Perez Prado '51--2, other Latin bands; toured with Calloway summer '51, '52--5 mostly in Boston; regular work and records with De Paris through '50s; led own band on Broadway NYC '60--65; with Benny Goodman '66--7; has toured the world. Recorded with Billie Holiday and Heywood on Commodore, Count Basie, Pee Wee Russell, others; Machito on Roulette (LP Kenya), De Paris on Atlantic, Buck Clayton jam sessions '74 on Chiaroscuro. Appeared with old boss Calloway on UK TV The Cotton Club Comes To The Ritz '85; meanwhile he began playing Sunday 'brunch' sessions at Sweet Basil '80, singing as well as playing, his charm, skill and fund of anecdotes undiminished. Albums incl. two-CD set Duos And Solos on Sackville, compiling three LPs '76--9: Sweet Substitute, salute to black songwriters Black Beauty, and Doc And Sammy, all with Sammy Price (b 6 Oct. '08, Honey Grove TX; d 14 April '92 NYC): singer, blues and boogie-woogie pianist; house pianist at Decca '30s, made Texas Bluesicians records there early '40s, etc). A star on the US festival circuit late '70s--80s; more albums incl. Live! on Natasha; Swinging Down In New Orleans on Jazzology; quartet with Dick Wellstood The Fabulous Doc Cheatham '84 and You're A Sweetheart '92 with Rosemary Galloway's Swing Sisters, both on Parkwood; Doc Cheatham And Jim Galloway At The Bern Jazz Festival mid-'80s on Sackville; also LPs Too Marvelous For Words and I've Got A Crush On You on New York Jazz '82 with octet incl. Milt Hinton, Dill Jones on piano, Howard Alden on guitar plus vocalists (latter also had duos with just Doc and guitar, with Doc vocalizing). The Eighty Seven Years Of Doc Cheatham '92 on Columbia was an apposite celebration; Doc's last recording was a set of relaxed duets with young New Orleans-born trumpeter Nicholas Payton on Verve which was getting rave reviews '97; his last gig was with Payton's quartet at Blues Alley in Washington, two days before he died. |