Red Nichols’ Early Years: A Clipping Archive
(1911 – 1926)
.
Ogden, Utah, March 1911
Ogden, Utah, December 1920
Ogden, Utah, September 1921
Brigham City, Utah, February 1922
Brigham City, Utah, September 1922. Nichols’ 1922 stay with Paul Whiteman is virtually undocumented, and there is no evidence that he made any recordings with the band at that time. He rejoined Whiteman in 1927 but left after approximately five weeks.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, January 1923. The Syncopating Five made several Gennett specials in Richmond, Indiana, in November 1922 (private recordings paid for by the performers and not listed in the Gennett catalog). “Dore” is Clyde Doerr, whose orchestra made some unremarkable Victor records in 1922.
Indianapolis, May 1924. The personnel listed here differ somewhat from the listing in Brian Rust’s Jazz Records and derivative works, which don’t cite their sources.
Scranton, Pennsylvania, January 1925 (with Lanin’s name misspelled). Among the members of the Scranton Sirens was clarinetist Jimmy Dorsey, whom Nichols tapped for his Five Pennies in 1926.
Nichols with the Earl Carroll’s Vanities orchestra (Pittsburgh, September 1925). This was the band’s initial line-up; personnel changed considerably over the course of the show’s run.
Hartford, Connecticut, July 1926. There had been frequent personnel changes in the Vanities band by this time, including the substitution of Don Voorhees for Ross Gorman as director. Nichols’ first Five Pennies line-up was drawn largely from this group (note the misspelling of Miff Mole as “Miff Molso”).
_________
Some Early Red Nichols Favorites
CALIFORNIA RAMBLERS (as VARSITY EIGHT): Charleston
New York: May 13, 1925
Cameo 741 (mx. 1448 – C)
RED & MIFF’S STOMPERS: Stampede
New York: October 13, 1926
Edison 51854 (mx. 11246 – C)
RED NICHOLS & HIS FIVE PENNIES: That’s No Bargain
New York: December 8, 1926
Brunswick 3407 (mx. E 20995)
You must be logged in to post a comment.