Born into a musical family, Pinkett was the eldest of four children born to William Ward Pinckett and Mary Louise nee Carr of Newport News, Virginia. His father, a prosperous tailor and land owner, was an amateur cornet player who formed the Newport News Brass Band around 1900, playing for social clubs and funerals in the area. His mother played piano, often accompanying his father in the home, and his sister, Loretta Gillis (1913-1998), played saxophone in several local jazz bands.[1]
Encouraged by his father, he started learning cornet at an early age and began playing trumpet at ten. He followed his father by enrolling in the Hampton University, where he played in the school band.[2] There he met and received trumpet lessons from Harry R. Cooper, who was attending Hampton's architectural school.[3] Before graduating, Pinkett was recruited by William A. Sykes, music director of the Haven Conservatory of Music of Meridian, Mississippi, to attend the private institute, along with several of his school friends,[4] including trumpeter Harold F. Whittington, who also became a professional jazz musician.[5]
Pinkett did not finish his studies at the academy. He joined Roy F. Johnson's Happy Pals, a well-known jazz orchestra from Richmond, Virginia. From there he went to the White Brothers Orchestra, a similar territory band from Washington, D.C., that played in the area bounded by Pittsburgh, New York, and its home base.[6]
Career
In January 1926, 19-year-old Pinkett joined Charlie Johnson's Original Paradise Band at Smalls Paradise in Harlem, Manhattan.[7] In the summer of 1926 he switched to the 10-piece Willie Gant's Paradise Ramblers, who took over from Johnson as Smalls' house band from May 1926 to 1927.[8] Jazz writer Albert McCarthy reported that Pinkett recorded three sides with Gant's band in the mid-1920s, based on an interview with Harry Cooper conducted by Charles Delaunay.[9] Gant himself reported that he cut some sides during the period he led the Smalls Paradise band, but none of his recordings have been found.[10] In July 1926 Pinkett recorded three songs with a band fronted by Tommy Morris, which are his earliest surviving recordings. Later that year he was with Billy Fowler's Society Orchestra and then James Hogan's band at the Joyland on 4th Ave. and 14th St.[11]
In 1927 he joined banjoist Henri Saparo's Orchestra at the Bamboo Inn on Seventh Avenue and 139th Street. A fire closed the club down in June, and it reopened in the fall. Saparo continued as bandleader with Langston Curl on trumpet, but after Saparo left in early 1928 pianist Joe Steele took over the band and soon replaced Curl with Pinkett.[12] Pinkett soon left and joined Bill Benford's band, which became the house band at the Rose Danceland on 125th street.[13]Jelly Roll Morton came to New York in the spring of 1928 and caught Benford’s band playing at the Rose. Morton took over the band as the newest incarnation of his Red Hot Peppers. Pinkett became Morton's favorite trumpet player, recording with the band both as a member and after he left in late 1928 to play in Chick Webb's Harlem Stompers.[14]
During his career, Pinkett also recorded with James P. Johnson, Bubber Miley, King Oliver, and Clarence Williams. Pinkett's last job was in 1935 performing at Adrian's Taproom in the basement of the Hotel President in Times Square with a group led by Albert Nicholas, along with Bernard Addison, Danny Barker and Joe Watts. Even though his alcoholism had progressed to the point that he was eventually fired for showing up drunk, in October of that year he cut six sides with the group, both as a vocalist and trumpeter, the last recordings he made. Pinkett was fired shortly afterward for showing up drunk.[15]
Personal life
On 16 August 1926, Pinkett took out a license in the city of New York to marry Pencie Bailey, a 15-year-old girl from his hometown of Newport News.[16] On 27 November of that year, Bailey gave birth to a daughter, Doris Louise Pinkett, in Newport News, while living with her mother and siblings. By April 1930 Pinkett was living in New York on West 139th St. in Harlem with another wife, Ora Pinkett, a hostess/dancer at the Savoy Ballroom.[17]
Death
Pinkett was a heavy marijuana user and a chronic alcoholic, which made him unreliable as a band member.[18] Little is known of his whereabouts after he left the Nicholas group. By 1937 he was living in a small, dingy room on the third floor above Reuben’s, a small after-hours bar owned by Reuben Harris on West 130th St. that was frequented by musicians. Danny Barker reported that Pinkett died an alcoholic death, continually drinking during his last days and not able to hold down food.[19] He died there on the afternoon of 15 March 1937, at the age of 30, with lobar pneumonia given as the cause of death.[20] His wife, Ora Pinkett, arranged for the body to be shipped to his family in Virginia, and he is buried in Pleasant Shade Cemetery in Hampton City, Virginia.
Carr, Peter; Vollmer, Al; Wright, Laurie, eds. (April–May 1982). "Have Drum, Will Travel: An Interview with Tommy Benford, Part 1". Storyville (100): 124–9.
Carr, Peter; Vollmer, Al; Wright, Laurie, eds. (February–March 1984). "Have Drum, Will Travel: An Interview with Tommy Benford, Part 2". Storyville (111): 105–7.
Winfield, George; Carr, Peter (1978). You Don't Know Me, But ... Storyville Publications and Co. Ltd. OCLC 8603609.
Yanow, Scott (2001). Classic Jazz: The Musicians and Recordings That Shaped Jazz, 1895-1933. Oxford World's Classics. Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-87930-659-5.
January 18, 2023
ward, pinkett, william, april, 1906, march, 1937, american, jazz, trumpeter, scat, vocalist, during, harlem, renaissance, played, recorded, with, king, oliver, jimmy, johnson, chick, webb, jelly, roll, morton, pinkett, 1933background, informationbirth, namewil. William Ward Pinkett Jr April 29 1906 March 15 1937 was an American jazz trumpeter and scat vocalist during the Harlem Renaissance He played and recorded with King Oliver Jimmy Johnson Chick Webb and Jelly Roll Morton Ward PinkettPinkett in 1933Background informationBirth nameWilliam Ward Pinkett Jr Born 1906 04 29 April 29 1906Newport News Virginia U S DiedMarch 15 1937 1937 03 15 aged 30 New York City New York U S GenresJazzOccupation s Musician vocalistInstrument s TrumpetYears active1924 1935 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Discography 6 Citations 7 ReferencesEarly life EditBorn into a musical family Pinkett was the eldest of four children born to William Ward Pinckett and Mary Louise nee Carr of Newport News Virginia His father a prosperous tailor and land owner was an amateur cornet player who formed the Newport News Brass Band around 1900 playing for social clubs and funerals in the area His mother played piano often accompanying his father in the home and his sister Loretta Gillis 1913 1998 played saxophone in several local jazz bands 1 Encouraged by his father he started learning cornet at an early age and began playing trumpet at ten He followed his father by enrolling in the Hampton University where he played in the school band 2 There he met and received trumpet lessons from Harry R Cooper who was attending Hampton s architectural school 3 Before graduating Pinkett was recruited by William A Sykes music director of the Haven Conservatory of Music of Meridian Mississippi to attend the private institute along with several of his school friends 4 including trumpeter Harold F Whittington who also became a professional jazz musician 5 Pinkett did not finish his studies at the academy He joined Roy F Johnson s Happy Pals a well known jazz orchestra from Richmond Virginia From there he went to the White Brothers Orchestra a similar territory band from Washington D C that played in the area bounded by Pittsburgh New York and its home base 6 Career EditIn January 1926 19 year old Pinkett joined Charlie Johnson s Original Paradise Band at Smalls Paradise in Harlem Manhattan 7 In the summer of 1926 he switched to the 10 piece Willie Gant s Paradise Ramblers who took over from Johnson as Smalls house band from May 1926 to 1927 8 Jazz writer Albert McCarthy reported that Pinkett recorded three sides with Gant s band in the mid 1920s based on an interview with Harry Cooper conducted by Charles Delaunay 9 Gant himself reported that he cut some sides during the period he led the Smalls Paradise band but none of his recordings have been found 10 In July 1926 Pinkett recorded three songs with a band fronted by Tommy Morris which are his earliest surviving recordings Later that year he was with Billy Fowler s Society Orchestra and then James Hogan s band at the Joyland on 4th Ave and 14th St 11 In 1927 he joined banjoist Henri Saparo s Orchestra at the Bamboo Inn on Seventh Avenue and 139th Street A fire closed the club down in June and it reopened in the fall Saparo continued as bandleader with Langston Curl on trumpet but after Saparo left in early 1928 pianist Joe Steele took over the band and soon replaced Curl with Pinkett 12 Pinkett soon left and joined Bill Benford s band which became the house band at the Rose Danceland on 125th street 13 Jelly Roll Morton came to New York in the spring of 1928 and caught Benford s band playing at the Rose Morton took over the band as the newest incarnation of his Red Hot Peppers Pinkett became Morton s favorite trumpet player recording with the band both as a member and after he left in late 1928 to play in Chick Webb s Harlem Stompers 14 During his career Pinkett also recorded with James P Johnson Bubber Miley King Oliver and Clarence Williams Pinkett s last job was in 1935 performing at Adrian s Taproom in the basement of the Hotel President in Times Square with a group led by Albert Nicholas along with Bernard Addison Danny Barker and Joe Watts Even though his alcoholism had progressed to the point that he was eventually fired for showing up drunk in October of that year he cut six sides with the group both as a vocalist and trumpeter the last recordings he made Pinkett was fired shortly afterward for showing up drunk 15 Personal life EditOn 16 August 1926 Pinkett took out a license in the city of New York to marry Pencie Bailey a 15 year old girl from his hometown of Newport News 16 On 27 November of that year Bailey gave birth to a daughter Doris Louise Pinkett in Newport News while living with her mother and siblings By April 1930 Pinkett was living in New York on West 139th St in Harlem with another wife Ora Pinkett a hostess dancer at the Savoy Ballroom 17 Death Edit Pinkett was a heavy marijuana user and a chronic alcoholic which made him unreliable as a band member 18 Little is known of his whereabouts after he left the Nicholas group By 1937 he was living in a small dingy room on the third floor above Reuben s a small after hours bar owned by Reuben Harris on West 130th St that was frequented by musicians Danny Barker reported that Pinkett died an alcoholic death continually drinking during his last days and not able to hold down food 19 He died there on the afternoon of 15 March 1937 at the age of 30 with lobar pneumonia given as the cause of death 20 His wife Ora Pinkett arranged for the body to be shipped to his family in Virginia and he is buried in Pleasant Shade Cemetery in Hampton City Virginia Discography EditMain article Ward Pinkett discographyCitations Edit Spencer amp Gillis 1998 p A10 Spencer amp Gillis 1998 p A10 Kragting 1990 p 124 Spencer amp Gillis 1998 p A10 Piano 1924 p 20harvnb error no target CITEREFPiano1924 help Williams 1941 p 39 Spencer amp Gillis 1998 p A10 Chilton 1985 p 261 Lipskin amp Kunstadt 1960 p 4 McCarthy 1946a p 25 Lipskin amp Kunstadt 1960 p 4 McCarthy 1946b p 24 Chilton 1985 p 261 Hennessey 1973 pp 283 5 McCarthy 1983 pp 51 61 Carr Volmer amp Wright 1982 p 129harvnb error no target CITEREFCarrVolmerWright1982 help Carr Volmer amp Wright 1984 pp 105 6harvnb error no target CITEREFCarrVolmerWright1984 help Charters amp Kunstadt 1984 p 236 Barker 2016 pp 138 140 41 New York New York Extracted Marriage Index 1866 1937 2014 Provo Ancestry com State of New York Certificate and Record of Marriage 28456 1930 U S Census for New York New York ED 31 987 1 B McCarthy 1946b p 24 Barker 2016 p 123 Borough of Manhattan Department of Health Certificate of Death 7122 References EditBarker Danny 2016 Shipton Alyn ed A Life in Jazz Louisiana Artists Biography Series The Historic New Orleans Collection ISBN 978 0 91 786071 3 Carr Peter Vollmer Al Wright Laurie eds April May 1982 Have Drum Will Travel An Interview with Tommy Benford Part 1 Storyville 100 124 9 Carr Peter Vollmer Al Wright Laurie eds February March 1984 Have Drum Will Travel An Interview with Tommy Benford Part 2 Storyville 111 105 7 Charters Samuel B Kunstadt Leonard 1984 1962 Jazz A History of the New York Scene Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 80225 2 Chilton John 1985 Who s Who of Jazz From Storyville to Swing Street Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 76271 4 Driggs Frank Lewine Harris 1982 Black Beauty White Heat A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz 1920 1950 Oxford World s Classics William Morrow and Company ISBN 978 0 68 803771 0 Hennessey Thomas 1973 From Jazz to Swing Black Jazz Musicians and Their Music 1917 1935 PhD Northwestern University Kragting Ben Jr June 1990 Harry R Cooper 1903 1961 The shadow of a Forgotten Musician Storyville 142 124 36 Lipskin Mike Kunstadt Len October 1960 This is William D Gant Record Research 30 3 4 16 McCarthy Albert J June 1946a Collector s Notes Jazz Forum 1 1 25 6 McCarthy Albert J September 1946b Ward Pinkett Jazz Forum 1 2 24 27 McCarthy Albert J 1983 Big Band Jazz Exeter Books ISBN 9780907408703 Piano Recital Monday Missionary Church Newport News Daily Press 22 June 1924 p 20 Spencer Jim Gillis Loretta 28 February 1998 A Lifetime of Music Newport News Daily Press pp A1 A10 Stewart Rex 1991 Gordon Claire P ed Boy Meets Horn University of Michigan Press ISBN 0 472 10213 3 Stowell Jay S 1922 Methodist Adventures in Negro Education The Methodist Book Concern ISBN 978 0 19 284081 3 Retrieved 15 September 2019 Williams Eugene November 1941 A Note on Ward Pinkett Jazz Information 2 16 39 90 Winfield George Carr Peter 1978 You Don t Know Me But Storyville Publications and Co Ltd OCLC 8603609 Yanow Scott 2001 Classic Jazz The Musicians and Recordings That Shaped Jazz 1895 1933 Oxford World s Classics Backbeat Books ISBN 978 0 87930 659 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ward Pinkett amp oldid 1114158665, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
