Claude Hopkins

Claude Driskett Hopkins ( born August 24, 1903 in Alexandria, Virginia; † 19 February 1984 in Riverdale, Bronx, New York ) was an American stride pianist (nicknamed "Crazy Fingers" ), arranger, composer and bandleader.

Life

Hopkins learned at age seven playing piano and studied at Howard University (where his parents taught ) and at the Washington Conservatory in Washington, DC, where he played the way in college bands. In 1924 he founded his own band for engagements in Atlantic City and was then in the band of Wilbur Sweatman. In 1925, he toured as musical director of the "Revue Negre " show of Josephine Baker - in which also played Sidney Bechet Europe and led a year later his own bands in Spain and Italy. In 1927 he was back in the United States, where he toured from Washington with the "Ginger Snaps Revue". In 1930 he took over the band of Charlie Skeete, with whom he played at the Savoy Ballroom (1930 /31), Roseland Ballroom ( 1932-1934 ) and Cotton Club (1935 /6) in Harlem. They were so popular, he also played at the ball of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They were also broadcast nationwide on radio. In April 1933, Hopkins had with "California, Here I Come " (Columbia ) the first of four hits in the charts.

Among the soloists of the orchestra were Jabbo Smith, Edmond Hall, saxophonist Bobby Sands, the trombonist Fernando Arbello, Vic Dickenson. Singers were Orlando Oberson and trumpeter Ovie Olston. Recordings exist from 1932 to 1936 and from 1940 ( from 1937 to 1939 they undertook extensive tours ). Hopkins led the band from the piano and the late 1930s as a conductor.

In 1942 he released the tape on, arranged for radio and dance bands and CBS, as for short-term swing band of Tommy Tucker ( 1944) and also worked during the Second World War, but in an aircraft factory. He then forwarded his own groups, such as 1944-1947, a big band, but made ​​no recordings, 1950 a band at the Café Society, played in the late 1950s with old-time jazz musicians such as Red Allen, the late 1960s, with wild Bill Davison and Roy Eldridge in 1970. Also from the 1960s, he recorded a few tracks with his band and from the 1970s there solo piano recordings of him.

His song compositions include " Vamping a Co - Ed", "Crying My Heart Out for You ", " Blame It on a Dream ," " Washington Squabble ", " Count Off", "Low Gravy ," " That Particular Friend of Mine "," Dancing to the Hop "," Deep Dawn ", " Sand Fiddler ", " Is It So? "," I Would Do Anything for You ". Another hit of the band was " Mush Mouth" by Jimmy Mundy, who arranged for his big band in the 1930s.

In 1998, he was inducted into the " Big Band Jazz Hall of Fame".

Collection

Claude C. Hopkins Billie Holiday The Bronx Atlantic City (New Jersey) Columbia Records Mosaic (disambiguation) Integrated Authority File
192801
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