General Overview

This blog is dedicated to the Frank Driggs Jazz Oral History Collection located within the UMKC Nichols Library, Marr Sound Archives, and LaBudde Special Collections.

The Frank Driggs Jazz Oral History Collection compiles recorded interviews of early jazz musicians conducted by Driggs himself from 1956 to 1986. The interviews are conversations between Driggs and these musicians, during which they discuss certain subjects, including their experiences performing and recording with territory bands or other ensembles during the Great Depression, working with other notable musicians and band leaders, their path to success, and knowledge they have acquired throughout their careers. Driggs was inspired by analyzing the development of jazz in the Kansas City and Southwest regions. He sought to preserve information about musicians who flourished during the early jazz era, but were not as well-documented as some of their contemporaries and therefore may have been forgotten throughout history.

Marilyn K. Yee, Frank Driggs, 2005, The New York Times, New York https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/arts/music/frank-driggs-jazz-age-historian-and-photo-collector-dies-at-81.html.

An interesting connection that our group made upon researching the Frank Driggs collection is that many of the musicians included in the collection collaborated with each other or were associated with the same notable musicians in various ways. In particular, a few of the musicians we studied independently had performed with Count Basie, Benny Carter, and Louis Armstrong, among other widely recognizable names in jazz history.

Each member of our group chose one specific musician in the Driggs collection to research by listening to their interview. Maxine Sullivan was a jazz vocalist who performed and worked with artists such as Claude Thornhill and Benny Carter. She was one of the first African Americans to host a radio broadcast program, and she garnered a substantial amount of recognition for her recorded performance of Claude Thornhill’s swing arrangement of “Loch Lomond.” Saxophonist and clarinetist Buddy Tate performed with the Count Basie Orchestra for nearly ten years. Additionally, Tate worked with Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton throughout his career. Trombonist Druie Bess had much working experience in music as a child, thanks to his trombonist father. He later went on to perform with Walter Page’s Blue Devils, and eventually with Count Basie and Earl Hines, among others. Snub Mosely was another undersung trombonist, and was at one point the musical director for Louis Armstrong.

The musicians we researched also all shared similar career paths in territory bands and live and recorded performances of jazz. Frank Driggs had an interest in the aforementioned musicians and their life and work during the early jazz period, specifically those who worked in the Midwest and Southwest regions throughout the Great Depression. Driggs’ collection successfully displays the wealth of talent, skill, and knowledge that early jazz musicians exhibited. This collection is an especially helpful resource that preserves the history of many jazz musicians who may have been overlooked among the community of more well-known, household names in jazz history.

Bibliography:

Driggs, Frank. Frank Driggs Oral Jazz History Collection. MS-0109, LaBudde Special Collections, University of Missouri-Kansas City (2023). https://finding-aids.library.umkc.edu/

Fox, Margalit. “Frank Driggs, Collector of Jazz Photos, Dies at 81.” The New York Times (September 2011). https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/arts/music/frank-driggs-jazz-age-historian-and-photo-collector-dies-at-81.html 

Snub Mosley (by Matt Robertson)

Diamond, Harry. Snub Mosley. 1978. Photograph. National Portrait Gallery. National Portrait Gallery. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp164482/lawrence-leo-snub-mosley.

I chose to research an interview with jazz trombonist Snub Mosley (1905-1981) from the Frank Driggs collection. The reason that I fixated on this interview was because it had clearer audio quality than many other of the files I perused in the collection. Additionally, the interview stuck out for Mosley’s compelling stories of his career as a jazz trombonist in territory bands in the 20s and 30s. and later with big names such as Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller.

Snub Mosley was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on December 29, 1905. By the time he was 15 he was touring with Alphonse Trent’s territory band, a leading territory band throughout the Southwest. Territory bands were bands that played in a variety of states in the midwest and southwest in the 20s and 30s. The interview is a primary source and thus an indispensable window into history, but did not provide a background on what territory bands were and I had to research it myself, similarly to Mosley’s birth date and birth place. This interview is a casual setting with Frank Driggs and Snub Mosley having known each other before, and largely consists of Driggs asking Mosley about different musicians he was associated with and where they might be during the time of the interview (1970s). What this interview lacks in context, however, it makes up for in stories. Mosley tells stories that give the listener an idea of what life was like for the musicians in territory bands. One particular story emphasized a harsh reality for black musicians touring the Midwest and Southwest in the 20s and 30s: racism. Here, Mosley recounts a time that he was with Alphonse Trent’s band and they played at a white hotel in Dallas. Somebody told the KKK that a black band was playing at a white hotel and after the show, Trent was tipped off by some of these rich white concertgoers that the KKK was looking for them, and they were able to flee before they could be found and possibly killed. While this puts a negative light on life for these musicians, it also shows that even then there existed allyship from rich, white music fans that made it possible for them to survive. In another part of the interview, Mosley recounts a time that he followed legendary and acclaimed trombonist Kid Ory on some kind of radio program. In response, Driggs asks “Can you imagine Kid Ory trying to follow you?” suggesting that Mosley was a virtuoso that could easily outplay one of the legends of that time, despite not being nearly as well known.

Frank Driggs’ interview with Snub Mosley is in line with the majority of the other interviews in the collection in that it covers an obscure musician playing in a territory band in the 20s and 30s. It tells me that this collection is not meant to give the full scope of these musicians’ lives, but rather give an idea of what they talked like and to hear about some of their experiences first hand. Through this, we can paint a picture for ourselves of the experience of territory musicians in the 20s and 30s and learn about great musicians that might have otherwise been lost to time.

Bibliography:

Mosley, Snub, performer, and Driggs, Frank, compiler. “Snub Mosley [sound recording].” UMKC Nichols Library Marr Sound Archives, FD-CASS-49.
https://merlin.lib.umsystem.edu/search~S3?/tFrank+Driggs+Collection./tfrank+driggs+collection/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=tfrank+driggs+collection&289%2C%2C313
https://umkc.app.box.com/s/e0cve995t1f1kq38ujde9q4mmnr7j5q9/file/1312253900839

Druie Bess (by Loren Broaddus)

Detail from Duncan Scheidt, "Walter Page's Blue Devils," 1929-35:
Territorial Bands & A New Headquarters, c. 1920's, Musicians Local 627. https://libweb.umkc.edu/spec-col/local627/photos/territorial/index/mmf-p107.htm

From a very young age, Druie Bess (1901-1990) played trombone with his father, Frank Bess, on gigs ranging from picnics to bars. By the time he reached maturity in the 1920’s, he was already a seasoned professional; he earned a position playing for the Blue Devils, a group helmed by Count Basie’s famed bass player, Walter Page. In the 1940’s, he played with territory bands and on riverboats, and in the middle of the decade, toured with pianist Earl Hines.

In an interview with Frank Driggs, Bess recalls playing on a session with Basie in which a specific tune, except the beginning and the end, was created on the spot; he further laments not getting written credit or pay for the session. He also recollects some of his former band members, including another trombone player named “Socks” (who unfortunately died young), as well as one time he heard Lester Young practicing.

Druie Bess is a perfect example of the kind of musician represented in the Frank Driggs Special Collections. Very few pictures of him exist, and very few recordings of him exist, if any. His only true biography online is three paragraphs on AllMusic.com. Yet, despite his obscurity, he was a prolific and experienced musician, having performed a lot in his early years; not to mention the fact that he played with Basie, Walter Page, Earl Hines, and many midwestern territory bands, among others. Since Bess acquired so much skill and experience through his father at such a young age, it’s quite baffling there aren’t more recordings or press of him, especially considering how modern media jumps at any chance to depict or dramatize child prodigies.

Something that interested me, among Bess’s recollections of his band members, was the mention of his friend “Socks”, another trombone player. Despite a catchy nickname, there is no general information about him to be found, at least through Google, so as to determine his real name. Driggs mentions him first, asking if Bess had ever heard Socks in Kansas City, and Bess responds by saying before Socks died, he talked about playing with him. 

Socks’ obscurity, along with his premature death, is a rather tragic example of Frank Driggs’ reasoning for conducting these interviews. Besides simply giving these musicians visibility, Driggs’ interviews give these obscure names like Bess their due humanity; hearing Bess’s career exploits in his own voice endears him beyond an under-recorded trombone player. Besides simply hearing the story about Bess’s participation on a spontaneous Count Basie side, hearing him talking with Driggs about it makes it that much more fascinating; this is only furthered by Driggs’ obvious interest and conversational tone, and Bess’s willingness to be asked about his life and career.

Bibliography:

Chadbourne, Eugene. Druie Bess Biography, AllMusic.com.

Bess, Druie, performer, and Driggs, Frank, compiler. "Druie Bess, trombone [sound recording]", 1976. UMKC Nichols Library Marr Sound Archives, FD-CASS-33.

https://merlin.lib.umsystem.edu/search~S3?/tFrank+Driggs+Collection./tfrank+driggs+collection/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=tfrank+driggs+collection&71%2C%2C313

https://umkc.app.box.com/s/e0cve995t1f1kq38ujde9q4mmnr7j5q9/file/1312270895790

Buddy Tate (by Ben Snipes)

David D. Spitzer, Buddy Tate, 1978, National Museum of 

African American History and Culture.

Out of the various different musicians that were listed in the Frank Driggs Collection, I have decided to write about American saxophonist and clarinetist, George Holmes Tate, or more commonly known as, Buddy Tate (1913-2001). He was originally from Sherman, Texas, and he started out playing the alto saxophone. Starting in the late 1920s he switched to the tenor saxophone, and began his career by playing with groups all over the southwest and collaborated and worked with somewhat major bandleaders, such as Andy Kirk, Nate Towles, and Terrence Holder. In 1939, Buddy’s fame skyrocketed whenever he had the opportunity to play in the Count Basie Orchestra, and stayed with them until 1948. Basie has actually selected Buddy himself to play in the group because Buddy has taken over the position after previous tenor saxophone player Herschel Evans passed away. What is even more crazy about this promotion is that Buddy admitted that this same scenario has happened in a dream he had beforehand.

A couple of years later, in 1953 he eventually found fame on his own terms and then started his job playing for the celebrity club for 21 years. In the late 1970s the mayor of his hometown had actually invited him to play at this concert, and claimed the day of the concert to be proclaimed as “Buddy Tate Day”. At this concert, he actually contacted old friends who played with him back when he was in the Count Basie Orchestra. After this, he has become a little bit inactive with his playing because of his age. In the early 1980s, he faced an injury by accidentally burning himself with extreme hot water in the shower of a hotel, and shortly after this incident he became severely ill. Soon after this, he was still active playing, but not like before. Close to his death date, he moved to Arizona to where he was being taken care of by his daughter. 12 days before his 88th birthday, he passed.

What makes Buddy Tate so special in this collection is that he is one of the many people in the early 20th century to basically pioneer and develop the start of jazz, which then transitions to the jazz we hear today. Frank Driggs did these interviews with these people because he wanted to get their insight on life from the beginning of jazz, and understand what has happened, and to grasp any advice and experiences explained from these musicians. It is really nice to hear from these musicians not because we are able to hear what they sound like, how they talk, or how their personalities are, but this is efficient and valuable information because this is information coming straight from them and not from a website that might contain false information.

Bibliography:
 

Tate, Buddy, performer, and Driggs, Frank, compiler. "Buddy Tate [sound recording], Lloyd Arman", 1976. UMKC Nichols Library Marr Sound Archives, FD-CASS-257.

https://merlin.lib.umsystem.edu/search~S3?/tFrank+Driggs+Collection./tfrank+driggs+collection/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=tfrank+driggs+collection&34%2C%2C313

https://umkc.app.box.com/s/e0cve995t1f1kq38ujde9q4mmnr7j5q9/file/1312256958173

Maxine Sullivan (by Kendal Blumenthal)

Artist unknown, Maxine Sullivan, ca. 1945, silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2013.46.29.93.

One of the items in the Frank Driggs Jazz Oral History collection that I researched was an MP3 recording of a radio broadcast hosted by broadcast journalist Mort Crim. The radio show features Crim discussing and interviewing influential figures of the mid-20th century, more specifically highlighting their career accomplishments, life struggles and other experiences, and their current activities and lifestyles following the peaks of their careers. Each segment is brief, but the interviews provide a sufficient amount of insight into the subject.

The interview I listened to focused on Maxine Sullivan, who was a jazz vocalist born in 1911 in Homestead, Pennsylvania that experienced a career in performing live music in New York. Crim states that Sullivan was widely popular and her most well-known recordings included “Molly Malone,” “Jackie Boy,” “Turtle Dove,” and “Georgia On My Mind.” Sullivan describes the pivotal change in her career during the mid-1930s when she moved from Pittsburgh to New York. She had only been performing at a small club in Pittsburgh, so she was encouraged by Gladys Mosier, a jazz pianist with Ina Ray Hutton’s band, to move to New York for better opportunities. In 1936, Mosier introduced Sullivan to Claude Thornhill, a pianist and arranger. Sullivan auditioned for the Onyx Club on 52nd Street and started regularly performing immediately thereafter. Sullivan explains that her fame grew immensely in 1937 with the help of Claude Thornhill’s arrangement of “Loch Lomond.” “Loch Lomond” is a traditional Scottish song that Thornhill arranged into a swing feel and dedicated it to Sullivan. Along with the growth of recognition and stardom came a great deal of controversy related to her recording of “Loch Lomond.” Sullivan explains to Crim that she performed the arrangement for the “Saturday Night Swing Club,” which was a radio program that originated from CBS, and station manager Leo Fitzpatrick turned the song off before it concluded. He insisted that the song was sacrilegious and banned it from being played on his station again.

Towards the end of the interview, Crim states that Sullivan retired in the 1960s, but returned to show business to perform jazz shows, record a new album, and start a new project called “The House That Jazz Built.” “The House That Jazz Built” was a community center dedicated to various jazz related activities, such as a museum, workshops, and performances.

I chose to study Maxine Sullivan’s interview because she is a figure in music history that relates to my personal research topic, which broadly examines African American women in jazz music. I sought for more information about women who made a living as jazz musicians, especially during a time period in which segregation and sexism were both inherently embedded in society. This interview of Maxine Sullivan displays the types of musicians that Frank Driggs was interested in and whose music and stories he sought to preserve. Sullivan is among a plethora of jazz musicians in the Driggs collection who were relatively successful and associated with famous musicians and bandleaders in the 20th century.

Bibliography:

Sullivan, Maxine, performer, and Driggs, Frank, compiler. “Maxine Sullivan [sound recording].” UMKC Nichols Library Marr Sound Archives, FD-CASS-253. http://merlin.lib.umsystem.edu/search~S3?/tFrank+Driggs+Collection./tfrank+driggs+collection/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=tfrank+driggs+collection&234%2C%2C313, https://umkc.app.box.com/s/rcp7ry2iyvcuwxzcbwljckhblefazvlx/file/1321220603175.

Wilson, John S. “Maxine Sullivan: 50 Years A Singer And Still Growing.” The New York Times (December 1985). https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/15/arts/maxine-sullivan-50-years-a-singer-and-still-growing.html