Charles Coleridge "Red" Richards (October 19, 1912,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

– March 12, 1998,

Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale is a town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several village ...

) 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 ...

pianist.

Biography

Richards began playing classical piano at age ten and concentrated on jazz from age sixteen after hearing Fats Waller. His first major professional gig was with Tab Smith at the

Savoy Ballroom The Savoy Ballroom was a large ballroom for music and public dancing located at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Lenox Avenue was the main thoroughfare through upper Harlem ...

in New York City from 1945 to 1949. Following this he played with

Bob Wilber Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his car ...

(1950–51) and

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His ...

(1951). He toured Italy and France in 1953 with

Mezz Mezzrow Milton Mesirow (November 9, 1899 – August 5, 1972), better known as Mezz Mezzrow, was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. He is remembered for organizing and financing recording sessions with Tommy Ladnie ...

's band alongside

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" ...

and

Big Chief Moore "Big Chief" Russell Moore (August 13, 1912 – December 15, 1983) was an American jazz trombonist. Moore, a Pima tribe member, grew up on a Native American reservation before moving to Chicago and then Los Angeles where he learned to play vario ...

, also accompanying Frank Sinatra in Italy. He played with

Muggsy Spanier Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist based in Chicago. He was a member of the Bucktown Five, pioneers of the "Chicago style" that straddled traditional Dixieland jazz and swing. ...

intermittently from 1953 through the end of the decade and with

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 mus ...

in 1957–58. In 1958, he performed as a solo act in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, then played with

Wild Bill Davison William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they ...

in 1958–59 and again in 1962. In 1960 he formed Saints & Sinners with Vic Dickenson, playing with this band until 1970. He joined jazz drummer Chuck Slate and his band in 1971 and stayed with him most of the year. He recorded an album with Slate called ''Bix 'n' All That Jazz''. Following this he worked with

Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. Early years Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of ...

(1975–77), then led a trio in 1977–78. He played with Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans worldwide from 1979 through the 1980s. He recorded with Bill Coleman in 1980. He continued to tour near to the time of his death in March 1998, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Discography

As leader

* ''In a Mellow Tone'' (West 54, 1978) * ''Soft Buns'' (West 54, 1979) * ''It's a Wonderful World'' ( Black & Blue, 1980) * ''Lullaby in Rhythm'' ( Sackville, 1985) * ''I'm Shooting High'' (Sackville, 1988) * ''Dreamy'' (Sackville, 1992) * ''My Romance'' (Jazz Point, 1993) * ''Swing Time'' (Jazz Point, 1993) * ''Groove Move'' (Jazz Point, 1994) * ''Echoes of Spring'' (Sackville, 1998)

As sideman

With Panama Francis * ''Gettin' in the Groove'' (Black and Blue, 1979) * ''Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans'' (Classic Jazz, 1980) * ''Grooving'' (Stash, 1982) With Saints & Sinners * ''Catch Fire at the Sheraton-Jefferson in St. Louis'' (Seeco, 1960) * ''The Saints and Sinners'' (77 Records, 1964) * ''Saints and Sinners in Canada'' (Cav-a-Bob, 1967) * ''Sugar'' (MPS, 1968) With

* ''Chicago Jazz'' (RKO, 1958) * ''Muggsy Spanier'' (Ace of Hearts, 1967) * ''One of a Kind'' (Glendale, 1983) * ''Hesitatin' Blues'' (Affinity, 1986) * ''At Club Hangover San Francisco 1953–54'' (Storyville, 1997) With others *

Buster Bailey William C. "Buster" Bailey (July 19, 1902 – April 12, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist. Career history Early career Buster Bailey was taught clarinet by classical teacher Franz Schoepp, who also taught Benny Goodman. Bailey gained his s ...

, '' All About Memphis'' (Felsted, 1958) *

, ''Singing Trumpets'' (Jazztone, 1957) * Bill Coleman, ''Really I Do'' (Black and Blue, 1982) * Vic Dickenson, ''Just Friends'' (Sackville, 1986) * Bobby Donaldson, ''Dixieland New York'' (World Wide, 1958) * Bobby Donaldson, ''Dixieland Jazz Party'' (Savoy, 1959) *

Eddie Durham Edward Durham (August 19, 1906 – March 6, 1987) was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger. He was one of the pioneers of the electric guitar in jazz. The orchestras of Bennie Moten, Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie ...

, ''Eddie Durham'' (RCA Victor, 1974) *

All Stars, ''The Big Reunion'' (Jazztone, 1958) * Bud Freeman, ''The Bud Freeman All Star Swing Sessions'' (Prestige, 2003) *

Marian McPartland Margaret Marian McPartland OBE ( Turner;Hasson, Claire"Marian McPartland: Jazz Pianist: An Overview of a Career" PhD Thesis. Retrieved 12 August 2008. 20 March 1918 – 20 August 2013), was an English–American jazz pianist, composer, and writ ...

, ''Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast'' (Jazz Alliance, 1994) *

, ''Swingin' with Mezz'' (Vogue, 1962) *

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and s ...

, ''The Individualism of Pee Wee Russell'' (Savoy, 1978) *

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 drop ...

, '' Henderson Homecoming'' (United Artists, 1959) *

Maxine Sullivan Maxine Sullivan (May 13, 1911 – April 7, 1987), born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, United States, was an American jazz vocalist and performer. As a vocalist, Sullivan was active for half a century, from the mid-1930s to just b ...

, ''We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye'' (Audiophile, 1995) * Skeets Tolbert, ''1939–1942'' (Everybodys, 1983) *

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

, ''A Slick Chick: The Rhythm & Blues Years'' (Mercury, 1983) * Benny Waters, ''Plays Songs of Love'' (Jazzpoint, 1993) * George Wettling, ''George Wettling's Jazz Band from Stuyvesant Casino Featuring Hot Lips Page'' (Storyville, 1994) *

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

, ''Sings the Blues with Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans'' (Muse, 1983)

References

Other sources

*Doran/Kernfeld, "Red Richards". '' Grove Jazz'' online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Red 1912 births 1998 deaths Jazz musicians from New York (state) People from Scarsdale, New York 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists American jazz pianists American male jazz musicians American male pianists Black & Blue Records artists Sackville Records artists Saints & Sinners (jazz band) members Savoy Sultans members