Edward Clifton Allen (December 15, 1897 – January 28, 1974) 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 ...

trumpeter and cornetist.

Early life

Allen was born in

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 ...

on December 15, 1897. His family moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

when he was seven; he began playing piano at age ten and settled on cornet soon after. Chadbourne, Eugene.
Ed Allen: Biography
.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Accessed March 14, 2020. He worked as a truck driver in his teens and played in

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

Later life and career

By the mid-1910s Allen was playing professionally in local nightclubs and bars. He moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

to take a gig with Ralph Stevenson, then returned to St. Louis to play on the Streckfus line of

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury ...

s which ran between

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and St. Louis on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Early in the 1920s he played in the band of

Charlie Creath Charles Cyril Creath (December 30, 1890, Ironton, Missouri – October 23, 1951, Chicago, Illinois), known as Charlie Creath, was an American jazz trumpeter, saxophonist, accordionist, and bandleader. Creath played in traveling circuses and ...

, but by 1922 he had his own ensemble, the Whispering Gold Band, aboard the ''S.S. Capitol''. After this, he was based in New Orleans until 1923. In 1924 he made his way to Chicago and played with

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

until 1925. He then played from 1925 to 1927 in a revue called Ed Daily's Black and White Show, as a member of Joe Jordan's group, the Sharps & Flats. Between 1927 and 1937 Allen recorded extensively with Clarence Williams. Allen also accompanied vocalist

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

on some recordings, and recorded in several bands of

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 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 wro ...

's. Allen played in various dance bands through the 1930s and 1940s, then played with Benton Heath in New York City from the middle of the 1940s up until 1963. His last appearance on record was in England with

Chris Barber Donald Christopher Barber (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and Trombone, trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with "Petite Fleur ...

in the 1950s. After 1963 his failing health resulted in retirement from music. He died in New York City on January 28, 1974.

Playing style

"In his early work Allen sometimes used the cackle-like muted timbre employed by contemporary jazz cornetists, and he produced a pleasant tone with a wa-wa mute; on the open instrument he often affected a singing, lyrical style in the manner of Joe Smith, but he showed a substantial New Orleans influence, especially in his lead playing."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Ed 1897 births 1974 deaths American jazz cornetists American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters 20th-century American trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century American military personnel