Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, born June 13, 1905 in Nashville, Tennessee
Phillips Chapel was the birthplace of the BFS Band. Most of the kids in the neighborhood met to see what was going on. A Mr. Meridith, Dean at Phillips Chapel wanted to organize the BFS Band (BFS stood for Bright Future Stars) to compete with one such band in Franklin, Tennessee. At the meeting at the church where second-hand instruments were donated by neighbors, each kid took what he wanted to play. I selected the drums. A Mr. N.C. Davis came in as our teacher. He took the drums away from me and gave me a cornet. I was playing it in a week's time, and by ear.
We had a very good band playing at county fairs. The first song I played was called Action Quick Step. Later I was interested in saxophone. My dad bought a soprano sax for me. I was playing it in a few days. The band lasted a year and broke up in a free-for-all fight with Mr. Meridith because he did not want the band to play jazz.
I continued playing, and on Saturdays I played dances in Nashville. I also played circuses and carnivals that came into Tennessee. I became interested in playing shows and I put myself in the pit at the Bijou Theater. I was playing C Melody [saxophone] at that time. There I sat and played with every show and blues singer on the TOBA circuit. I could not read and I was not interested in learning to read music at that time. I went to Atlantic City during school vacation in 1924 and I was hired to play saxophone at the Paradise Club with Charlie Johnson's band. He fired me right away as I couldn't read the show music. I then got busy with help, learning to read and found it lots of fun.
I returned to the Bijou Theater in Nashville where the show of Sunshine Sammy took me out on the road with the band, which ended in Chicago--all stranded. A few of us stuck it out together, and found a very nice landlady who put us up in her apartment. Some of us got little jobs and some of us didn't. Those who did pitched in their money for us to eat. I then met Lil Armstrong who took me on a few gigs playing cornet. Then I got a job at the Dreamland Cafe with Al Wynn's Creole Jazz Band playing saxophone and cornet. There I recorded with Ma Rainey on saxophone. I wasn't very strong and found two horns too much for me to carry around.
At that time Louis Armstrong came back to Chicago from Fletcher Henderson's band. After hearing him I went to hear King Oliver, Freddie Keppard, and other trumpet players from New Orleans. I then found out how pretty the trumpet can be so out went the saxophone. Louis Armstrong came to the Dreamland to have me play in his place at the Vendome Theater. At that time every trumpet player in Chicago was trying to play like Louis Armstrong . Some could and some couldn't. I was one that couldn't but tried like hell. I then began to study New Orleans style music.
Then after a year things got bad in Chicago. I received an offer from Bobby Lee who had his Cotton Pickers band in New Jersey at the Sea Girt Inn. I played with him one week and someone ran away with the money. Stranded once again. I then started to work on the boardwalk pushing chairs and working also as a bellhop. A Mr. Lou Henry sent tickets to Jerry Blake and myself to go to New York. Jerry Blake and I were from Nashville and we played in all bands together. After a few weeks, I joined Chick Webb's band where I met Freddie Jenkins and Johnny Hodges. I then got an offer from Sam Wooding to go to Europe--I accepted. That is where I met Tommy Ladnier. Tommy helped me a lot in jazz playing. "Keep patting that foot," he always said to me.
When I was in Philadelphia and New York for the first time, I learned no one wanted to play lead trumpet, so I did and liked it. I continued as a lead trumpet player. Returning to the United States after three years in Europe with Sam Wooding, I joined Hardie's Alabamians on tour through the United States. Then I went to McKinney's Cotton Pickers, led by Benny Carter. I then met Joe Smith and Rex Stewart. A few months later I returned to New York and joined Cab Calloway where I remained for eight years playing lead trumpet.
My health broke down and I had to stop playing for a while and worked in the Post Office and also taught trumpet lessons. After two years of rest and getting myself together, I returned to play again. I played with Eddie Haywood at Cafe Society, also recorded with Billie Holiday. I then realized that my solo playing was not good. I hated everything I played. Later I joined Teddy Wilson's big band. I met Carl George and Shorty Baker. I felt like throwing my horn away, but these men encouraged me to continue and I did, as I knew someday I would get myself together. After messing up a few recording dates, I refused all lead playing jobs and fought it out. Now I do feel better. I listen to everybody, Diz, [Clark] Terry, Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, and many others. I began to hear something returning to my playing, but not as I played in Chicago, it was an entirely new style.
I then joined Marcelino Guerro, Machito, Perez Prado with Paul Webster and myself. After, I joined Wilbur DeParis who gave me the green light playing solos along with his brother Sidney. I began to get my New Orleans feeling back, I thought. I went to Africa with Wilbur and Herbie Mann, and returning I joined Benny Goodman. I had a little trouble again with my solos. I then realized I had too many styles to play; Latin, New Orleans, and New York Jazz. Then I joined Ricardo Rey as a soloist only. Now, I don't know how to describe the style I now play, but I feel much better about it. There is much I still need to know about it after playing with Joe Newman and Clark Terry. I realize I can only do the best I can.
My Jezebel album was a thrill along with the recordings I made in Europe with Sam Price in 1958 and 1975.
Now I am a member of the New York Jazz Repertory Company, playing festivals in Nice, France, Russia, and New York. I'm singing now just having a good time doing the best I can. Numerous other bands, groups and also jazz societies I have played with include Jelly Roll Morton, Tiny Parham, Teddy Hill, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, Edgar Hayes, The Countsmen, Red Balaban featured nightly at Eddie Condon's Jazz Club, the Connecticut Jazz Society, The New Jersey Jazz Society and I can go on and on and on.
[Ed. note: Doc Cheatham passed away June, 1997 after suffering a stroke shortly after a
gig at Washington's Blues Alley jazz club. All of us at Riverwalk will miss him and
consider ourselves lucky indeed to have known and worked with him.]
Purchase I
Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home: The Life of Doc Cheatham by Doc Cheatham, Alyn
Shipton (Editor), Howard Rye, Adophus Cheatham
Doc Cheatham is featured in the Riverwalk programs :
Jazz Train, From Chicago to New York
