William Thornton Blue

William Thornton Blue ( * January 31, 1902, † 1968) was an American jazz musician (clarinet, alto saxophone)

William Thornton Blue, which was sometimes called Bill Blue, his musical career began in local bands in St. Louis ( Missouri), where his father worked in the music industry. He then played at Wilson Robinson's Bostonians, a Territory band, and finally the mid-20s with Charlie Creath and Dewey Jackson. At the end of the decade he worked in Andrew Preers Cotton Club Orchestra in New York City and then toured as a member of the band of Noble Sissle through Europe. He then stayed a short time in Paris, where he worked with John Ricks. After his return to New York, he became a member of Missourians who were led by Cab Calloway; then he worked with Luis Russell. For health reasons, he was in the late 30s rarely active as a musician; later he spent most of his life in the sanatorium.