Charles Valdez "Truck" Parham (January 25, 1911 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz double-bassist.[1]
Charles Valdez "Truck" Parham | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 25, 1911 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Died | June 5, 2002 (aged 91) Chicago |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, boxer, American football player |
| Instrument | Double-bass |
Parham was born in Chicago[1] and was first a professional sportsman: he was a boxer and played football with the Chicago Negro All Stars.[2] He played drums before settling on bass, and studied under Walter Page.[2] He was part of Zack Whyte's band in 1932-34, playing primarily in Cincinnati, but was mostly a singer and valet for the band, the latter activity giving rise to his nickname.[1] After returning to Chicago, he played with Zutty Singleton, Roy Eldridge (1936–38), Art Tatum, and Bob Shoffner in the 1930s.[2] In 1940 he joined Earl Hines's orchestra, where he remained for two years; in 1942 he was hired by Jimmie Lunceford and played with him until 1947.[2]
Parham continued to play revival gigs with Muggsy Spanier (1950–55), Herbie Fields (1956–57), Hines again, and Louie Bellson.[2] He spent much of the 1960s working with Art Hodes, and played in numerous Dixieland jazz groups later in his career.[2] Parham never recorded as a leader, though he recorded profusely as a sideman.[2] He continued playing into the 2000s, being a member of Franz Jackson's band in 2000.[1] Parham died in Chicago on June 5, 2002.[1]
Discography
With Louis Bellson
- Drumorama! (Verve, 1957)
- Louis Bellson at The Flamingo (Verve, 1957)
- The Brilliant Bellson Sound (Verve, 1959)
With Art Hodes
References
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
