SNOOKUM RUSSELL
Isaac Russell Jr. was born on April 6, 1913 in Columbia SC where his father, Isaac Russell Sr., was for many years the janitor of the Court House. According to the obituary in The State (Columbia) September 10, 1981 he “received his music training from Professor Edward F. Davis at Booker T. Washington High School in Columbia and later in New York City.” The Indianapolis Recorder of March 28, 1942 says that “during his teen age he was organist at the Nazareth Baptist church for five years. . . . The name ‘Snookum’ was given to him by an aunt because he had one plait of hair and one tooth and looked like ‘Snookum’ in the comic strip.” The same paper on September 2, 1944 said that he “majored in music at Columbia University, and at one time played with the North Carolina Collegians.” The State loc. cit. goes on to say that “[i]n Columbia, Russell’s Ajax Band played for the first dance at the Township Auditorium in 1931 and at various other local events during the 1930s.” The State has several references to performances by the Ajax DeLuxe 11-piece Orchestra in the years from 1931 to 1934. In one it is described as “McDowell’s,” but an ad in November 1933 says “ the music will be furnished by the Ajax 11-piece orchestra, featuring Backaway Russell, well-known radio singer.” (1) This can hardly be other than Snookum Russell, and this is made virtually certain by an ad in The Charleston Evening Post of June 6, 1934 for “Snookum Russells Ajax De Luxe Orchestra.” But from August 1934 to the end of 1935 all the references are simply to Snookum Russell’s Orchestra. Of particular interest, given his later career as pianist, is a reference to “Little Water [sic] with “Snookum” Russell at the piano (The State January 18, 1935). By the middle of 1936 he had joined the band of Hartley Toots, which was based at the Rockland Palace in Miami but toured extensively during the summer months. The Pittsburgh Courier of July 10, 1937 listed the personnel including “”Snookum” Russell, bass violinist, soloist, and arranger.” For the 1938 tour Russell, “nationally known Skat Singer,” shared the vocal honours with Melrose Colbert (2), and high-note trumpeter Cat Anderson also joined the band during the tour which included a week at the Apollo Theatre in New York (3).
In November of 1938 the Hartley Toots band opened at the Regal in St. Louis with a revue called “Dixie to Harlem” which also featured, inter al., the comedy duo of Butterbeans and Susie. Russell was the MC of the show (4) as well as doing his own vocals and leading the orchestra. The revue toured until January of 1939 (5) when the band went back to its regular touring schedule, with battles of the bands with the Tiny Bradshaw outfit, and Ruble Blakey as featured vocalist. At the end of February they made their first appearance in Washington DC where it is said that “Snookum" Russell … “stopped the show” for more than five minutes. The performance which rocked the theatre was the singing of a special medley by Russell with the band as a background, consisting of Hold Tight, Rhythm Is Jumping, Flat Foot Floogie and Tutti Frutti” (The Pittsburgh Courier April 8, 1939). The same paper, in its April 1 issue, reported that the band would “leave immediately for New York to do some recording before going to Centreville, Md., to resume its dance tour.” If the band did record nothing appears to have been issued. The band continued to tour but at the end of May it was reported that “Snookum Russell, sensational scat singer and all around musician, is the new leader of the Hartley Toots’ orchestra. The change will not become effective until the first of June, as Toots will finish all engagements booked … under his name. Russell will take charge when the new streamlined, parlor-car bus is delivered” (The Pittsburgh Courier May 27, 1939) (6). On June 10 the same paper reported that “Russell plans to turn the spotlight on the sensational drummer, Bernard Brown, who is one of the flashiest “stick-men” in the country”. (7) He has also secured the services of Lucille Taylor, former vocalist with Teddy Hill.” (8) And on July 22 it published a photo of the brass section - “Elmore Simon, trombonist and staff arranger; “Little Jebbie,” trumpeter; Tony Barrin, trumpeter; Wilmar Cadett, trumpeter and high note man; Franklin Wallace, first trombonist and in charge of brass rehearsals.” A tour with Irvin C. Miller’s Brownskin Models ended in October 1939 and it was reported in The Pittsburgh Courier of November 4, 1939 that he had added to the orchestra Andy Gump Martin, tenor sax and arranger (formerly with the Sunset Royals), Willie Gaddie, guitar (also formerly with the Sunset Royals), Pa Jones, trumpet, from Baltimore, and pianist, composer and arranger Alger Williams from Pittsburgh. (9)
January 1940 saw Russell hook up again with Butterbeans and Susie in a revived “Dixie to Harlem” show (10), which also included veteran blues singer Hannah Sylvester, and the inevitable “chorus of sepia beauties.” The Macon Telegraph of March 7, 1940 (11) lists the band’s personnel at that time - William Bickman, trumpet; William Smith, jitterbug king, original Whyte Lindy Hopper; Frank Wallace, feature trombone player; Clarence Peterson, trombone; “Fat Head” William Page, saxophonist; Sammie Williams, pianist; William Gaddy, guitar; Piercy Mills, tenor saxophonist’ “Andy Gump” Martin, tenor saxophonist; Paul Jones, trumpet; Wilmot Cadett, trumpet; Carlton Duckett, saxophonist; Alger Williams, arranger; Orion Ross, bass violin; Parr Jones, second trumpet; Wilbourne Pogue, first saxophonist; and Bernard Brown, vocalist and drummer.
The show closed in mid-August but Russell continued on the road, retaining Hannah Sylvester as his female vocalist. In the Indianapolis Recorder of September 27, 1941 there is a review of sorts of the show by the splendidly-named Elizabeth Brizentine Taft, who writes: “Sunday night, Snookum Russell held sway at the Sunset Terrace - - - - A fine leader with a fine band! I was especially glad to see our own Herman Bell - - - he of the fine tenor sax - - -sitting in with the band. . . I liked Bill Thompson’s playing of the vibes - - - “Star Dust” was one number with a soft semi-classical swing, changing quickly into a fast tempo! The he played “The Man I Love.” I would have enjoyed hearing Bernard Brown, who has a fine clear lyric tenor voice singing this number because he really crooned “Two Cigarettes for Two.” . . . Snook took honors with his vocalizing of St. Louis Blues, I Left My Bay (Basie style), Daddy, Sent For You Yesterday and others. I liked the fast rhumba tempo of Frenisi!!” In The Pittsburgh Courier February 15, 1941 it was reported that Don Redman was to take over the Russell band, keeping Russell on (as bass violinist) and adding Velma Middleton and boxer Henry Armstrong as vocalists. This arrangement seems to have fallen through very quickly as it was reported in the April 5 issue of the same paper that “Snookum Russell, whose venture with Don Redman failed to bring the promised “buckets of gold” at the end of the rainbow, is back on his own again, and is rehearsing rapidly in preparation for a busy spring and summer season.” A new recruit at this time was vibes player Bill Thompson, later to record with Earl Hines and with Melrose Colbert on Atlantic. Another addition to the band (first mentioned in September) was vocalist Lillian White, but she didn’t last long as by February 1942 Mae Daniels (12) had taken her place (13). The Pittsburgh Courier of February 14, 1942 lists the personnel as: Bill Thompson, vibes; Harry Par Jones, ace trumpeter; William Hickman, Theo. Navarro Jr. and James Johnson, trumpets; Clyde Ewell, trombonist and arranger; John Church, Robert Graham, Arthur Rowland and Arthur Bell (14), saxophones; Sylvester Trent, pianist; and Maxwell McCarthy, bass, plus lovely Mae Daniels, vocalist. On March 28, 1942 the Indianapolis Recorder said the vocalists with the band were Jimmy Phillips and Luvonia Green.
A significant development took place in April 1942 when it was announced that the Ferguson Bros. agency of Indianapolis (15) had taken over management of the band (now called the All Reet Orchestra) from Bill Mears. Down Beat May 15 1942 reported from Kansas City that "Snookum Russell's sepia ork, an out-of-town band hailing from Indiana, grabbed the spot at Eddie Spitz's College Inn vacated by Jesse price's band which was called to the Cotton club in Cincinnati." Another change in female vocalist took place in November 1942 when Annie Laura Page (16) came on board and stayed until July 1943 - she was to record prolifically from 1947 as Annie Laurie. Shortly after, in December, the boogie pianist Christine Chatman also joined the band, remaining until March 1943 - she would make her first recordings the following year. The Indianapolis Recorder of March 27, 1943 mentions “Big Fat Mama” and “You Ain’t Nowhere” as songs performed by Russell. All this time the band had continued to tour, alternating strings of one-nighters with occasional longer bookings in larger cities and now at last they had made it to the West Coast, being booked to play in Club Plantation in Los Angeles, opening a six week engagement on October 25. Reports are somewhat cryptic but it does not appear to have been an entirely successful booking. The Plaindealer (Kansas City) November 19, 1943 reported that “Ceepee Johnson’s orchestra will replace the Snookum Russell orchestra, which is now appearing at the Plantation club - we wonder why ?????,” while The Los Angeles Tribune of November 29 reported that “Leonard Reed’s Plantation Club revue which made its bow to the public Monday night was a complete secret to the Snookum Russell band which is playing or rather “not playing” there. The musicians could not have been more bewildered had they been given a copy of the Moscow Pact written in Russian to read. A damn shame too, for Leonard is a great producer and probably has a swell show, but a Ziegfeld Follies would show up to poor advantage if the orchestra just gave up the ghost and the performers were reduced to humming their own accompaniment.” However The Pittsburgh Courier of December 4, 1943 carried the following report: “When Snookum Russell and his up and coming orchestra followed Erskine Hawkins into the Club Plantation, October 25, he was booked in for two weeks. His torrid music socked music lovers in this vicinity so hard that the management of the club picked up the dynamic maestro’s option for six additional weeks.” No doubt this emanated from Russell’s publicity agent but it is unlikely that the claim of an extra six weeks is false. The same report adds that Russell “signed three former Noble Sissle men, running his crew up to 15 members,” but unfortunately gives no names, and also says that he has “a nightly air shot over Station KMTR.”
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The Indianapolis Recorder of December 18, 1943 reported from Dallas TX that Iona Wade, who was to make a number of records in the late forties/early fifties, had been “signed to appear with the Russell band for their present Dixie tour. Iona closed with the Johnny Harris band in Oklahoma and was immediately placed with the Russell aggregation.” The Minneapolis Spokesman of October 22 1944 said that ""Top Flight, a Musical Fantasia," an all-star show, will be presented Wednesday evening, October 25 . . in the theater section of the St. Paul Municipal Auditorium under the sponsorship of the St. Paul Branch of the N. A. A. C. P. The show on a vaudeville arrangement will present a bright aray of Twin City talent augmented with stars from Chicago along with "Snookum Russell" and his Hollywood Orchestra featuring IOna Wade, a sensation vocalist in refined entertainment." She was with him till the end of 1944; the Indianapolis Recorder of December 9 reported that “Russell’s most recent addition to his orchestra is lovely Dianne Taylor, vocalist.” Under the headline “Snookum Russell Heads New York Way” the Indianapolis Recorder of April 5, 1944 reported that the band was to be auditioned by representatives of Apollo theatre and representative of Decca Records.” At the end of March 1945 it was reported that Russell has reorganized his band and that “Alice Rose, his charming featured vocalist, hails from down Florida way and incidentally is Mrs. Snookum.” The reason for the reorganization appears to have been that Russell was drafted into the army. The Indianapolis Recorder of December 30, 1944 said that Russell had “orders to report to his home board (Miami) immediately for induction. This isn’t Russell’s first brush with the army, but in other instances he was rejected, but this time it seems Uncle means business; and just in the event he is to be inducted, Russell has made arrangements with New York’s Eddie Robinson to front the band in his absence, filling all engagements as contracted.” A couple of ads from February and March 1945 show him playing piano at the 440 Club in Indianapolis. The Pittsburgh Courier of May 26, 1945 reported that Russell “was released from the army” a few weeks after V-E Day (May 8, 1945). However it would appear that he was back with the band earlier than that since the Indianapolis Recorder of April 14, 1945 reports that “Snookum Russell brought his newly reorganized aggregation into Knoxville yesterday.” One addition to the band at this time was bass player Ray Brown - an ad in the Elmira (NY) Star Gazette of September 1, 1945 promised “Snookum Russell and his Hollywood Orchestra Featuring Raymond M. Brown Jr. World’s Greatest Bass Player.” And The Pittsburgh Courier September 29, 1945 reported that “Snookum has a new trombone man, Jim Turner, an Ohio native who has worked around Dayton with several swing crews and the Wilberforce collegiate band.” I do not know what the significance may be of a report in the Indianapolis Recorder of November 17, 1945 that “Wesley O (promoter) Jackson is now fronting Snookum Russell’s band.”
The California Eagle of April 4, 1946 reported that “Snookum Russell and ork will wax four sides for Mutual Records on April 12th,“ and under the headline “Waxes for Mutual,” The Pittsburgh Courier of May 11, 1946 said “Oakland, Calif. - “That’s The Kick I’m On,” “Pam,” “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” “Let’s Jump,” “Shy Guy,” “Rockin’ the Blues,” are numbers recently placed on records for Trilon Recording Company and to be released under Mutual label by Snookum Russell and his orchestra, fourteen outstanding musicians who were all formerly members of name bands.” In fact only one (17) record came out and that was on the Trilon label. Trilon 122 coupled “I’m A Shy Guy” with “(Be Pop) That’s The Kick I’m On.” The labels list the personnel as Russell, vocal and piano; John Moore and Vic Thomas, tenor saxes; Eddie Jamison, alto sax; William Newberry, baritone sax; Deek Wilson, Les Ayers and Sam Paris, trumpets; Phil Fraser, trombone; Vernon Alley, bass; and Duke Hyde, drums. The presence of Alley suggests that the recordings were made in the Bay Area; the other musicians were presumably members of Russell’s current band. This is confirmed by the Indianapolis Recorder of April 20, 1946 which lists “Deke” Wilson, Sam Paris and Les Ayers on trumpets, Johnnie Moore, Billy Newbury, Eddie Jamison and Victor Thomas on saxes, Paul Frazer and Walter Smith playing trombones, Russell himself on piano and Duke Hyde on drums.
On November 23, 1946 The Pittsburgh Courier reported that “Snookum Russell had to leave his band in Tampa and be rushed to a hospital for an emergency appendix operation. Forced to miss several dates, he should be scat’in’ away when you read this.” In February-March 1947 Russell’s band headed a revue called “1947 Swing Parade,” which included Big Joe Turner and Maybelle Smith (Big Maybelle), and in March-April they toured with Big Joe Turner and Wynonie Harris, who engaged in a “Blues Battle.” This did not last long as on April 10 The California Eagle reported that “Snookum Russell, America’s favorite “Skit (sic, recte Skat)-man” threw his arms around Max “Mr. Blues Bailey,” who takes the place of his former blues shouting men, Joe Turner and Wynonie Harris. Bailey will tour with Russell in the future instead of Turner and Harris, who recently quit the aggregation due to misunderstanding over financial affairs.” Ads in June 1947 also include Dorothy (Dot) Simmons as vocalist.
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Reports of his activities now become very infrequent. In August and September 1947 he was reported as playing cocktail piano at the Ritz Cafe in Indianapolis, and in February 1948 as “doin’ a single on location in Montgomery, Ala.” This may have been as a result of the cancellation of the band’s tour due to their bus catching fire at Albany GA. In April 1948 he played bass on a session in New Orleans by Earl Williams which produced three sides (18), and The Pittsburgh Courier of September 1, 1948 reported that having played in Texas during the Summer he was to appear in Akron OH in September and then move into the Virginias; “Alice Rose is featured vocalist and Ray “Doghouse” Brown is spotlighted on bass fiddle,” and on August 31, 1952 the Fort Myers (FL) News-Press reported that he was to play for a Labor Day dance. No doubt, like many others, he found it impossible in the post-war years to keep a large band together. The New York Age of March 4, 1950 said that he “picked up a nice check for services rendered in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras celebration,” (it is not clear if the services were those of his band or of himself as a solo artist) and it was there that he was to spend the rest of his life. He must have been pretty well established there since he wrote the charts for two of the numbers recorded by Otis Drucker in his April 1950 session for Decca. (19) “He was a jazz pianist at the Paddock Bar (20) and Lounge, 309 Bourbon, for more than 25 years, and also performed at Easy Eddie’s Jazz Parlor, where he was leader of a jazz combo, and at the piano bar of the Gateway Hotel” (The Times-Picayune August 15, 1981), and appeared at Jazz Fest in 1978 and the opening of Louis Armstrong Park in 1980. He also recorded a single (“Juke Box Boggie Boogie Chick”/“Basin Street Ain’t Basin Street Anymore”) for the Sapphire label (21) in 1954 and an LP on the My Jazz label (136) in 1974 (on which he played piano), as well as appearing on other jazz albums (22). He died in New Orleans on September 1, 1981 and was given a jazz funeral.
Notes:-
(1) The Asheville (NC) Citizen of August 29, 1934 reported that Russell’s orchestra “has been featured over radio stations WRDW, WRBX, WIS, WSPA, WFBC, WBTM, WOPI and WCSC.”
(2) On her see the excellent article by Marv Goldberg (http://www.uncamarvy.com/MelroseColbert/melrosecolbert.html).
(3) In The Pittsburgh Courier June 25, 1938 it is said that “also featured with the band is Specs Floyd, William ‘Cat’ Anderson, the cat that hits ‘em high and hits ‘em low and possesses the sweetest voice on this side of Heaven, also Ellmon “Jenksby” Simon, who stops and locks all shows with his dance of the century.” In the issue of July 16, 1938 Toots also mentions as members of his 16 strong band “Jeeby” and Cadet. “Jeeby” appears in fact to be Cat Anderson, since an ad in The Evansville (IN) Courier July 27, 1938 mentions “that Torrid Trumpet Tooter Jeby Anderson.”
(4) At first; the role was soon taken over by Ruble Blakey.
(5) The Pittsburgh Courier January 21, 1939 reported that “Melrose Colbert … after a lay-off of several weeks will return to the band. Miss Colbert was ordered by her physician to take much needed rest.” In fact she appears not to have returned as she is not thereafter mentioned in ads or reports of the band’s performances. Marv Goldberg (op. cit.) has pointed out that the real reason for her absence was her marriage on January 18 to trumpeter Ray Nance.
(6) The Indianapolis Recorder September 2, 1944 incorrectly states that Rusell took over “upon the death of Mr. Toots.”
(7) He was also a vocalist.
(8) The Pittsburgh Courier of October 7, 1939 reported that Miss M. Cascella Fielder of Meridian, MS had been selected as vocalist for the Snookum Russell orchestra but I know of no evidence that she ever actually appeared with them.
(9) Yusef Lateef (in The Gentle Giant: The Autobiography of Yusef Lateef [2006] 34) recalled that “while we were in Miami, we encountered Snookum Russell’s band that featured Pa Jones on trumpet. With Matthew’s band fronted by Hartley Toots, we would play opposite Russell’s band at the Rockland Palace in Miami, Florida.”
(10) Sometimes advertised as “Harlem Frolics of 1940.”
(11) There had been a break in the show’s tour in early February as Russell’s band had already been booked for a short dance tour, and ads in March also show occasional solo gigs by the band.
(12) When Russell worked at Scott’s Theatre Restaurant in April 1943 Mae Daniels was one of the artists featured in the floor show.
(13) Sometime in late 1941 trumpeter Fats Navarro was recruited into the band and in March 1942 he was joined by trombonist J. J. Johnson. See Leif Bo Petersen and Theo Rehak, The Music and Life of Theodore “Fats” Navarro: Infatuation (2009) 16-18
(14) The Indianapolis Recorder of February 7, 1942, no doubt quoting from the same press release, gives the same personnel but Herman Bell rather than Arthur Bell.
(15) On Ferguson Bros. see Preston Lauterbach, The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ’n’ Roll (2011) passim, esp. 79-92. An undated Ferguson Bros. promo photo of the band with Earl Hines can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/1961/2041-7320. The James Neal Montgomery collection in the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History (http://aafa.galileo.usg.edu) also has a photo of the band but, since it is not reproduced on the website, I cannot tell if it is the same one.
(16) Press reports give her first names variously as Anne or Annie and Laura or Laurie.
(17) McGrath, The R & B Indies (2nd edition, 2007) also lists Trilon 123 (“Shy Guy” and “Basin Street Ain’t Basin Street No More”) but I cannot find any evidence of the existence of this disc. Both sides of Trilon 122 have been reissued on Acrobat ACTRCD9011 (The Trilon Records Story 1940-1948).
(18) “Lately” issued on OKeh 6838 and “A Fool In Love” and “If You Ever Had The Blues,” which were coupled on Columbia 39387. "If You Ever Had The Blues" has been reissued on Epic E3K 48912 (The Okeh Rhytm & Blues Story 1949-1957).
(19) John Broven, Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans (3rd edition, 2016) 65.
(20) A photo of Russell playing the piano at the Paddock Lounge can be found at https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A21656.
(21) On Sapphire 1052, recorded in 1959, Gladys De Vore sang “Yes Ma’am,” and The Flips sang “Why Should I,” both accompanied by Russell & Band - this was probably Snookum Russell. It is also claimed (at http://doo-wop.blogg.org/moonbeems-c28640392) that in 1958 he backed vocal group The Moonbeems on Sapphire 1003 (also issued as Checker 912). I do not know what the evidence for this may be (it is not indicated on the record label), but it is entirely possible. All six of the tracks mentioned above have been reissued on Night Train International 7026 (Legendary Labels of Louisiana - Best of Sapphire). The label shots above are of a bootleg reissue but I presume that they are a faithful reproduction of the original.
(22) Atlantic SD1411 (Jazz at Preservation Hall Vol. 4) has Russell on three tracks by the George Lewis band recorded in 1962 and he is a member of the band on My Jazz 138 by Wallace Davenport and Don Albert (1974). He plays piano on both of these albums.
Howard Rye kindly made available his notes on references to Snookum Russell in International Musician. I am grateful to Willie Fagan for letting me have the entries for Russell in Tom Lord's The Jazz Discography.
I hope at some future time to add material on the less well known musicians who worked with Russell and a (partial) list of the band's engagements.