Dicky Wells
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William Wells (June 10, 1907 or 1909 – November 12, 1985), known professionally as Dicky Wells (sometimes Dickie Wells), 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
trombonist.


Early life

Wells was born in
Centerville, Tennessee Centerville is a town in Hickman County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,489 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. It is the county seat and the only incorporated town in Hickman County. It is best known for being the ...
. Early in his life, he lived in Centerville with his farmer father, George Washington Wells, and mother, Florence. Wells had a brother, Charlie or
Henry Wells Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. Hi ...
, and three sisters, Leona, Tenny, and Georgia.Wells, Dicky, and Stanley Dance. ''The Night People : The Jazz Life of Dicky Wells''. ev. and Expanded ed., Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. Wells and his family moved to
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
for some time where he started drinking whiskey from a bar. When Wells was ten years old his stepfather Felix Murray moved the family to
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
. Wells' mother was absent as she was traveling with his stepfather so his sister, Leona, took care of him and his brother. Both of Wells' parents died within a year of each other which took its toll on him.


Early career

While living in Louisville, Wells started playing in a band that was sponsored by the Booker T. Washington Community Center. This band consisted of players such as Jonah Jones, Bill Beason, Buddy Lee, and Helen Humes. The instruments were provided by Miss Bessie Allen and they were conducted by Lockwood Lewis and they traveled in a truck to play at county fairs. Wells started out playing the baritone horn but later took on the trombone as he had broken the only baritone horn they had. Wells played with this band until they decreased to a seven-piece jazz band that played funerals, parades, and parties all around Kentucky. Wells’ first paid band job was with Lucius Brown at the Eight Mile House until a train wreck happened in Kentucky. He and the band were sitting in the back when an oil truck collided with the train and caused an explosion. The band had no casualties but the band was injured. After a performance at Lyon's Garden, Lloyd Scott convinced him to move to Springfield to join the Bright Boys. They lived in the Sterling Hotel, in
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
until they all went to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
after Buchanan of the Savory Ballroom heard them play in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. In the next few years, he played in numerous orchestras led by musicians including
Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...
,
Spike Hughes Patrick Cairns "Spike" Hughes (19 October 1908 – 2 February 1987) was a British musician, composer and arranger involved in the worlds of classical music and jazz. He has been called Britain's earliest jazz composer, and was a pioneer of te ...
, and
Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical ...
. Wells replaced J.C. Higginbotham in Henderson's band in the 1930s. During this time, Wells interacted with stars like
Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...
and
Henry "Red" Allen Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstr ...
. Wells then toured with the Teddy Hill band in the late 1930s in Paris where he was recruited by jazz critic, Hugues Panassié to play for him with guitarist
Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...
and trumpet player, Bill Coleman. His work there resulted with two successful recorded sessions that were under his name.


Basie years

Wells was invited to
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
's house in 1938 because Herschel Evans and
Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...
saw his work with Hill. He was taken to play with the band at a country club in
Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",
which led him to get hired for a six-week show at the Famous Door. The band performed well enough to spend three months in performance. Wells was asked by Basie if he would like to continue playing with them, which he agreed to. Wells ended up staying in Basie's band for a total of eleven years, from 1938 to 1945 and again from 1947 to 1950. He took a break due to his trouble with his tonsils and "stomach disorders". Wells was supported by Basie and the band to take this break and he was able to spend some time working with other individuals such as
Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing music, swing and rhythm and blues, rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang ...
and J. C. Heard.


Well's style

Wells' tone is noted for being speak-like and was able to emulate sounds that expressed human emotions. Wells was able to use his expertise of the slide to manipulate his tone with
vibrato Vibrato (Italian language, Italian, from past participle of "wikt:vibrare, vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch (music), pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. ...
and
inflection In linguistic Morphology (linguistics), morphology, inflection (less commonly, inflexion) is a process of word formation in which a word is modified to express different grammatical category, grammatical categories such as grammatical tense, ...
. He frequently used what he called, "terminal vibrato" which was an integral part of Wells' style. This technique is notably used in his contributions to Spike Hughes' ''Music at Midnight / Music at Sunrise'' (Decca, 1933) and Basie's ''Panassié Stomp'' (Decca, 1938).


Late career

Wells returned to Europe in 1953 and played with Coleman and
Zutty Singleton Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was an American jazz drummer. Career Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana, United States, and raised in New Orleans. According to his ''Jazz Profiles'' biography, his unusual ...
. During his time there, Wells came to the realization about his drinking habits and started decreasing his consumption. Despite his personal troubles, he continued to tour but with
Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record " Confessin' that I Love You" ...
in many European countries such as
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, and
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. In October 1961, Wells made his first appearance in
Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
' band where he extensively toured and worked with them for three months. Wells worked all that he could, but before the band went to Paris, he ended up leaving the band due to health conditions. He later played in B. B. King's band at the
Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.
in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
. In his later years, Wells suffered a severe beating during a mugging that affected his memory, but he recovered and continued to perform. He played frequently at the West End jazz club at 116th and Broadway, most often with a band called The Countsmen, led by alto saxophonist
Earle Warren Earle Warren (born Earl Ronald Warren; July 1, 1914 – June 4, 1994) was an American saxophonist. He was part of the Count Basie Orchestra from 1937. Early life Warren was born in Springfield, Ohio, on July 1, 1914. "He played piano, banjo, and ...
, his colleague from Count Basie days. A trademark of Wells was his "pepper pot" mute, which he made himself.


Death

Wells died of cancer on November 12, 1985, in New York City. Shortly after his death, Wells's family donated his trombone to the
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
Institute of Jazz Studies.


Discography


As leader

* '' Bones for the King'' (Felsted, 1958) * ''
Trombone Four-in-Hand ''Trombone Four-in-Hand'' is an album by trombonist Dicky Wells which was recorded in 1959 and released on the Felsted Records, Felsted label.Chatter Jazz ''Chatter Jazz'' subtitled ''The Talkative Horns of Rex Stewart and Dickie Wells'', is an album by cornetist Rex Stewart and trombonist Dicky Wells which was recorded in 1959 and released on the RCA Records, RCA Victor label.Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...
(RCA Victor, 1959) * ''Heavy Duty!'' (Vocalion, 1965) * ''Dicky Wells in Paris 1937'' (Prestige, 1968) * ''Lonesome Road'' (Uptown, 1981) * ''The Stanley Dance Sessions'' (Lone Hill, 2005) * ''Dicky Wells with the Alex Welsh Band'' (Jazzology, 2011)


As sideman

With Lloyd Scott * ''Harlem Shuffle'' (Victor, 1927) * ''Symphonic Scrontch'' (Victor, 1927) * ''Happy Hour Blues'' (Victor, 1927) With Teddy Hill * ''Lookie, Lookie, Here Comes Cookie'' (Banner, 1935) * ''When the Robin Sings His Song Again'' (Banner, 1935) * ''Uptown Rhapsody'' (Vocalion, 1936) * ''At the Rug Cutters’ Ball'' (Vocalion, 1936) * ''Blue Rhythm Fantasy'' (Vocalion, 1936) * ''Passionate'' (Vocalion, 1936) With
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
* ''Blues by Basie'' (Columbia, 1956) * ''The Count'' (RCA Camden, 1958) * ''The Count Swings Out'' (Coral, 1959) With
Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record " Confessin' that I Love You" ...
* '' Songs for Swingers'' (Columbia, 1959) * '' Goin' to Kansas City'' (Riverside, 1960) * '' One for Buck'' (Columbia, 1962) * '' Copenhagen Concert'' (SteepleChase, 1979) With
Jimmy Rushing James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948. Rushing was known as " Mr. Five by ...
* ''The Jazz Odyssey of Jimmy Rushing'' (Philips, 1957) * ''Little Jimmy Rushing and the Big Brass'' (Columbia, 1958) * ''
Every Day I Have the Blues "Every Day I Have the Blues" is a blues song that has been performed in a variety of styles. An early version of the song is attributed to Pinetop Sparks and his brother Milton. It was first performed in the taverns of St. Louis by the Sparks ...
'' (Bluesway, 1967) * '' Livin' the Blues'' (Bluesway, 1968) With others *
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
, ''
Live at the Apollo (1963 album) ''Live at the Apollo'' is the first live album by James Brown and the Famous Flames, recorded at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Manhattan, Harlem in October 1962 and released in May 1963 by King Records (United States), King Records. Capturing Bro ...
'' (King, 1963) *
Vic Dickenson Victor Dickenson (August 6, 1906 – November 16, 1984) was an American jazz trombonist. His career began in the 1920s and continued through musical partnerships with Count Basie (1940–41), Sidney Bechet (1941), and Earl Hines. Life and car ...
& Joe Thomas, ''Mainstream'' (Atlantic, 1958) *
Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...
, '' The Complete RCA Victor Recordings'' (Bluebird, 1995) *
Tommy Gwaltney Thomas Oliver Gwaltney III (February 28, 1921, in Norfolk, Virginia, United States – February 11, 2003, in Virginia Beach, Virginia) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. He played clarinet, saxophone, and vibraphone. Biogr ...
, ''Goin' to Kansas City'' (Riverside, 1960) * Nancy Harrow, ''Wild Women Don't Have the Blues'' (Candid, 1961) *
John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...
, ''It Serve You Right to Suffer'' (Impulse!, 1966) *
Spike Hughes Patrick Cairns "Spike" Hughes (19 October 1908 – 2 February 1987) was a British musician, composer and arranger involved in the worlds of classical music and jazz. He has been called Britain's earliest jazz composer, and was a pioneer of te ...
, ''Spike Hughes and His All American Orchestra'' (London 1933 1956) *
Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...
&
Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record " Confessin' that I Love You" ...
, ''Jazz Spectacular'' (Columbia, 1956) *
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 B ...
, ''
The Big Apple Bash ''The Big Apple Bash'' is an album by jazz pianist Jay McShann, recorded in 1978 and released by the Atlantic label. Reception The ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' wrote that "McShann's vocals are nice and relaxed, a bit reminiscent of Hoagy Carmichael. ...
'' (Atlantic, 1979) * Red Prysock, ''Fruit Boots '' (Mercury, 1957) *
Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...
, '' Henderson Homecoming'' (United Artists, 1959) *
Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All Ab ...
, '' Swinging Like Tate'' (Felsted, 1958)


References


External links


1974 interview
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Dickie 1907 births 1985 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians American jazz trombonists American male trombonists Count Basie Orchestra members People from Centerville, Tennessee Swing trombonists African-American jazz musicians 20th-century American trombonists American male jazz musicians Uptown Records (jazz) artists 20th-century American male musicians Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Central High School (Louisville, Kentucky) alumni Jazz musicians from Tennessee Jazz musicians from Kentucky