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