Clyde Edric Barron Bernhardt (July 11, 1905 – May 20, 1986) 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. Bernhardt was born in Gold Hill, North Carolina, and raised there and in

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. He started playing trombone at age 17, and in the 1920s played with a variety of lesser-known ensembles, such as Bill Eady's Ellwood Syncopators, Tillie Vennie, Odie Cromwell's Wolverine Syncopators, Charlie Grear's Original Midnite Ramblers, the Richard Cheatham Orchestra, the

Whitman Sisters The Whitman Sisters were four African-American sisters who were stars of Black Vaudeville. They ran their own performing touring company for over forty years from 1900 to 1943, becoming the longest-running and best-paid act on the T.O.B.A. circu ...

, Honey Brown's Orchestra, Henry P. McClane's Society Orchestra and Ray Parker. He worked with

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he ...

in 1931, and through the middle of the decade did stints with Alex Hill, The Alabamians, Billy Fowler, Ira Coffey's Walkathonians, and Vernon Andrade. In 1937, he joined

Edgar Hayes Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1902 – June 28, 1979) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, Hayes attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920s. ...

's orchestra, remaining there through 1942, then worked with

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and ...

Cecil Scott Cecil Scott (November 22, 1905 in Springfield, Ohio – January 5, 1964 in New York City) was an American jazz clarinetist, tenor saxophonist, and bandleader. Scott played as a teenager with his brother, drummer Lloyd Scott. They played together ...

Luis Russell Luis Russell (August 5, 1902 – December 11, 1963) was a pioneering Panamanian jazz pianist, orchestra leader, composer, and arranger. Career Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama, in a family of African-Cari ...

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

, Pete Johnson,

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by m ...

Claude Hopkins Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader. Biography Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his ...

, and

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

and

Dud Bascomb Wilbur Odell "Dud" Bascomb (May 16, 1916, Birmingham, Alabama – December 25, 1972, New York City) was an American jazz trumpeter, best known for his tenure with Erskine Hawkins. Yanow, Scott. Dud Bascomb biography AllMusic He was a 1979 ind ...

. He led his own ensemble, called the Blue Blazers, before returning to play with Russell from 1948 to 1951. He recorded as a leader between 1946 and 1953, and on some of the recordings he sings under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Ed Barron. From 1952 to 1970, he played part-time with Joe Garland's Society Orchestra, mainly working outside of music during this time. Following this he led the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band between 1972 and 1979; his sidemen included

Doc Cheatham Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham (June 13, 1905 – June 2, 1997), was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He is also the Grandfather of musician Theo Croker. Early life Doc Cheatham was born in Nashvi ...

, Charlie Holmes,

Happy Caldwell Albert W. "Happy" Caldwell (sometimes incorrectly spelled Cauldwell) (July 25, 1903 in Chicago – December 29, 1978 in New York City) was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. Caldwell began on clarinet at age 16, playing in t ...

, Tommy Benford, and Miss Rhapsody. Bernhardt's heath began to fail in 1979, and he gave up leadership of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, but played in Barry Martyn's Legends of Jazz until his death in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

in 1986. Shortly before his death he published an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English p ...

co-written with Sheldon Harris entitled ''I Remember''.Clyde E. B. Bernhardt, Sheldon Harris, ''I Remember: Eighty Years of Black Entertainment, Big Bands, and the Blues'', 1986, University of Pennsylvania Press,

References

External links

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles a ...

, Clyde Bernhardtat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernhardt, Clyde 1905 births 1986 deaths People from Rowan County, North Carolina American jazz trombonists Male trombonists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trombonists Jazz musicians from North Carolina 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians