Lloyd Hunter (May 4, 1910–month and date unknown, 1961) was an American

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...

er and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

leader from

North Omaha, Nebraska North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the e ...

.(nd
"Jammin’ For the Jackpot: Big Bands and Territory Bands of the 30s"
New World Records, p. 10. .

Biography

Hunter was trained by Josiah Waddle, the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

musician to organize a band in Omaha, around 1915. Hunter's bands played regionally, filling

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

auditoriums, jitney ("Dime-a-Dance") halls,

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

buildings and

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

s throughout

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

and

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders

Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders were one of several black

territory band Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...

s that played venues in the African American community of the Near North Side of Omaha from the early 1920s through the

era. In 1924, Hunter formed his first six-piece band. In 1927 it became an 8-piece band with Lloyd Hunter on trumpet,

Elmer Crumbley Elmer Crumbley (August 1, 1908 – September 17, 1993) was an American trombonist. Early life Born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Crumbley was raised in Denver and Omaha, Nebraska. Career Crumbley performed with Cab Calloway and Earl Hines in the ...

on trombone,

Noble Floyd A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great ...

on clarinet and alto sax, Bob Welch on trombone, tenor sax and bass sax; Burton Brewer on piano; Julius Alexander on banjo; Wallace Wright on tuba, and;

Amos Clayton Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Amos Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles, California, in 1968 * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * ''Amos' ...

on drums. As was usual, the band toured the area playing one night stands. By 1929, the band was heard on radio stations KGBZ in

York, Nebraska York is a city in and the county seat of York County, Nebraska, United States. At the 2010 census, the city population was 7,766. It is the home of York College and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women. History York was platted in 1869 ...

;

KFAB KFAB (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Omaha, Nebraska, with studios and offices on Underwood Avenue in Omaha. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KFAB is a Class A clear channel station, operatin ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United St ...

; and WOW in Omaha. He recorded only once, near the beginning of a ten-month national tour with then prominent blues singer

Victoria Spivey Victoria Regina Spivey (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976), sometimes known as Queen Victoria, was an American blues singer and songwriter. During a recording career that spanned 40 years, from 1926 to the mid-1960s, she worked with Louis A ...

. The record, ''Sensational Mood'', included Lloyd Hunter, Reuben Floyd, and George Lott or Ted Frank on trumpets; Elmer Crumbley or Joe Edwards on trombone; Horace "Noble" Floyd and Archie Watts on alto saxophones; Harold Arnold or Dick Lewis on tenor saxophone; George Madison, piano; Herbert Hannah, banjo; Robert Welch or Wallace Wright, bass, and Pete Woods or

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes k ...

on drums. It was recorded April 21, 1931, in New York. Originally issued on Vocalion 1621 (The other side was a Victoria Spivey blues vocal with the band providing accompaniment.) The 12-piece band undertook a national tour that featured Spivey, who was married to Hunter's second trumpet Rueben Floyd at the time. The tour was less than successful, and by 1932 Hunter was back in Omaha, which would be his home base for the next 10 years. The saxophonist

Preston Love Preston Haynes Love (April 26, 1921 – February 12, 2004) was an American saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska, United States, best known as a sideman for jazz and rhythm and blues artists like Count Basie and Ray Char ...

got his start with Lloyd Hunter in the early 1940s, as well as

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He ...

on drums. While describing North Omaha's music scene, Love once suggested that Hunter relied on that community's talent for his own success.

Anna Mae Winburn Anna Mae Winburn ''(née'' Darden; August 13, 1913 – September 30, 1999) was an influential American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid-1930s. An African American, she is best known for having directed the Intern ...

was an early collaborator with Hunter.

Nat Towles Nat Towles (August 10, 1905 – January 1963) was an American musician, jazz and big band leader popular in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, North Omaha, Nebraska and Chicago, Illinois. He was also music educator in Austin, Texas. The ...

' band once out-played The Serenaders to make their own name in Omaha's music history. Hunter's band was also once the target of a "raid" by a major label attempting to construct their own version of

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 th ...

's band, which was also formed after one-such raid.

Legacy

Lloyd Hunter was recognized for his contributions to the

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ea ...

scene in 2005 when he was inducted in the

Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, or the OBMHoF, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to celebrate, document and honour the legacy of the many top vocalists and musicians whose musical careers began in the metropolitan area of Omaha, Nebr ...

.(nd
2005 Inductees
Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 4, 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Lloyd American jazz bandleaders American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Big band bandleaders Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska People from Omaha, Nebraska Year of birth missing 1961 deaths Territory bands American male jazz musicians

Biography

Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders

Legacy

See also

References