Zack Whyte (sometimes spelled Zach Whyte) (1898 – March 10, 1967) 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 ...

bandleader, best known for leading the territory band the Chocolate Beau Brummels.

Biography

Whyte was born in 1898 in Richmond, Kentucky. He studied at

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates i ...

, where he played banjo with Horace Henderson and arranged pieces for him. He led his own

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

-based bands from the early 1920s, and put together the Chocolate Beau Brummels late in the decade. This ensemble recorded for Gennett, Supertone, and

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...

in 1929, amounting to about ten tunes. Some of the recordings were released under the names "Eddie Walker & His Band" and "Smoke Jackson & His Red Onions". Whyte died on March 10, 1967 in Kentucky.

Legacy

Among those who played in Whyte's bands were

Herman Chittison Herman "Ivory" Chittison (October 15, 1908 – March 8, 1967) was an American jazz pianist. He was born in Flemingsburg, Kentucky, United States. Chittison began his career in Zack Whyte's territory band in Ohio in 1928. In the early 1930s, he ...

, Jerry Blake, Truck Parham,

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

, Vic Dickenson, and Al Sears. Whyte's entire discography was reissued to CD on a Jazz Oracle compilation, ''Richmond Rarities 1927-31''.

References

* Zack Whyteat

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:Whyte, Zack American jazz bandleaders Gennett Records artists 1898 births 1967 deaths