William C. Rank (June 8, 1904 – May 20, 1979) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

trombonist. Rank was born in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, Indiana, West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home t ...

, United States, and initially worked in Indiana and Florida. In 1922, Rank played trombone in Tade's Singing Orchestra, which was led by violinist, Tade Dolen."This Singing Orchestra is in the State," ''Cleveland Plain Dealer'' (Cleveland, Ohio); July 2, 1922; Amusement and Auto News Section - page 5) Between 1923 and 1927 he played with Jean Goldkette's band in Detroit and often recorded with

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical a ...

. After playing with

Adrian Rollini Adrian Francis Rollini (June 28, 1903 – May 15, 1956) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played the bass saxophone, piano, vibraphone, and many other instruments. Rollini is also known for introducing the goofus in jazz music. A ...

in 1927 and a period as a freelance, Rank joined

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

's band, and stayed until 1938. He was then a studio musician in Hollywood into the early 1940s, when he moved to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

. There, he led a tenet for the rest of the 1940s. Rank then changed to playing part-time while also working in insurance. His one album as a leader, a tribute to Beiderbecke, was recorded in 1973. Rank continued playing until a short time before his death, on May 20, 1979, in Cincinnati.

Discography

As leader

*''Bix's Gang Lives'' (Fat Cat's Jazz)

As sideman

With

*''At the Jazz Band Ball'' ( Okeh Records) *''Goose Pimples'' ( Okeh Records) *''Jazz Me Blues'' ( Okeh Records) *''Louisiana'' ( Okeh Records) *''Margie'' ( Okeh Records) *''Ol' Man River'' ( Okeh Records) *''Rhythm King'' ( Okeh Records) *''Royal Garden Blues'' ( Okeh Records) *''Since My Best Gal Turned Me Down'' ( Okeh Records) *''Somebody Stole My Gal'' ( Okeh Records) *''Sorry'' ( Okeh Records) *''Thou Swell'' ( Okeh Records) *''Wa-Da-Da (Everybody's Doin' It Now)'' ( Okeh Records)

References

1904 births 1979 deaths American jazz trombonists Male trombonists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trombonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Victor Recording Orchestra members {{indiana-stub