Oral History and Research Materials

Oral History and Research Materials: Singleton Palmer

This is the table of contents for the interview of Singleton Palmer. It is part of the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive which is located in

Lovejoy Library at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

For a complete contents list of all musician interviews for the oral history project, please click on this link: Oral History and Research Materials.

If interested in reviewing these materials from the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive, please contact Therese Dickman, Fine Arts Librarian.

Tape # Side Time Subject

1 a 001-033 Biographical - name, family

1 a 034-068 trumpet lessons, tuba lessons, reasons for change

1 a 069-111 Mose Wiley's Band, personnel

1 a 112-130 tunes played, reading charts

1 a 131-151 pay received, types of jobs, towns played in

1 a 152-174 taxi dances

1 a 175-221 Best bands in St. Louis - mid - 20's

1 a 222-256 music lessons

1 a 257-278 marching bands, parades in St. Louis

1 a 279-310 parents, becoming career musician, style of playing

1 a 311-362 Oliver Cobb Band, personnel, places played, pay

1 a 363-375 playing Coliseum with Louis Armstrong in St. Louis

1 a 376-432 Eddie Johnson's Crackerjacks, personnel, pay places

1 a 433-490 Travel as Erskine Tate Band, switch to bass viol

1 a 491-526 Hawaiian Club excursion to Chicago, contact with Erskine Tate,

travel

1 a 527-549 Plantation Club, 1933, personnel, hours, pay

1 a 550-569 Walter "Crack" Stanley, sets of music, shows at club

1 a 570-579 Joe "Ziggy" Johnson, Plantation Club

1 a 580-594 Erskine Tate - Travel

1 a 595-622 String bass, Truck Parham

1 a 623-630 types of crowds

1 a 631-653 arranging for band, Tab Smith

1 a 654-667 marriage

1 a 668-737 Fats Waller fronts band, tour, Waller's style

1 b 004-027 Cincinnati; Crystal Ballroom

1 b 028-039 Chicago excursion

1 b 040-051 Joined Dewey Jackson's band, 1937

1 b 052-069 Playing on the boat with Eddie Johnson; Idlewild

1 b 070-102 Dewey Jackson Band personnel

1 b 103-114 Streckfuss Boat "St. Paul" with Jackson

1 b 115-143 Change from Johnson to Jackson

1 b 144-187 Changes in Jackson band; big band on the "St. Paul"

1 b 188-263 Tunes played; sets; types of crowds

1 b 264-302 Unions in St. Louis; subsidiary 197

1 b 303-332 Fate Marable Band; personnel

1 b 333-345 Pay scales - black and white

1 b 346-379 After - hours clubs

1 b 380-424 Out-of-town bands in St. Louis; jamming

1 b 425-440 Best white bands and musicians

1 b 441-467 Black vaudeville; out-of-town musicians

1 b 468-529 George Hudson Band; personnel; arrangements

1 b 530-615 Travel with Hudson Band; eastern theater circuit; "Round the

Horn; Duke Ellington sits in; Savoy Theater

1 b 616-633 Castle Farms, Cincinnati; Eddie Johnson

1 b 634-733 Joining Count Basie Band 1947; personnel

1 b 734-743 Pay with Basie

2 a 008-119 Basie Band; theater dates; artists played with

2 a 120-147 Universal Dance Hall; resignation from Basie Band

2 a 148-164 Palmer's daughter

2 a 165-220 Working with Basie Band; tunes; Fats Waller; Freddy Greene

2 a 221-256 Recording with band

2 a 257-350 Anecdotes from Basie band; recording

2 a 351-363 Jimmy Rushing; other musicians in band

2 a 364-384 Paul Gonsalves

2 a 385-402 Coleman Hawkins; "Body and Soul"

2 a 403-442 Cities where Basie Band played

2 a 443-452 Return to St. Louis; Scullins Steel job

2 a 453-482 Regal Theater, Chicago; Hudson Band during War

2 a 483-512 First version of Dixieland Six; May 1950; personnel

2 a 513-533 Universal Dance Hall; personnel; Sunday sessions

2 a 534-560 Formation of Dixieland Six; Forest Park Hotel sudden dismissal

- no " Mixed Bands"

2 a 561-574 First recording with own band

2 a 575-584 Jobs after Forest Park Hotel; Top Hat Club; Windemere Club;

The Spa

2 a 585-598 Dewey Jackson leaves band; Vertna Saunders comes on

2 a 599-630 Palladium Lounge; East St. Louis

2 a 631-676 Racial prejudice; integration; effects of

2 a 677-697 Success of Palmer's Band

2 a 698-714 Gaslight Square; Opera House 1958; Saunders leaves, Bill

Martin takes place

2 a 715-743 Personnel changes - Al Guichard, Norman Mason, Dave Harris,

Kimball Dial

2 b 007-105 Clarinet players with band

2 b 106-143 Other musicians with Palmer's band

2 b 144-173 Materials, tunes

2 b 174-190 Recording

2 b 191-231 Best unit of band - Bill Martin, Leon King, Norman Mason,

Ben Thigpen

2 b 232-258 Changes Palmer would make in his life

2 b 259-314 Gaslight Square - demise of; other bands playing there

2 b 315-325 Phyllis Diller Show

2 b 326-349 Delmar Blvd. clubs in 1950's; musicians heard there

2 b 350-394 Television work

2 b 395-436 St. Louis Jazz Club; Ragtime Festival - lack of local musicians

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