Skeets Tolbert

Campbell Aurelius "Skeets" Tolbert (February 14, 1909, Calhoun Falls, South Carolina - November 30, 2000, Houston, Texas) was an American jazz clarinetist, alto saxophonist, vocalist, composer and bandleader. He acquired nickname "Skeets" which was short for "Mosquito." Tolbert grew up in Lincolntown, North Carolina, and studied at Johnson C. Smith University. Though Tolbert never had a standard to his credit, he composed and arranged a great number of tunes that would become hits for others, notably Nat King Cole. He has 42 tracks over two albums to his credit as well and more that he has credit for in part. Red Richards who played piano and sang with Tolbert's Gentlemen of Swing said of Tolbert that he "could play" and was an original, that he didn't copy Louis Jordan. Of the band he said they were a strong, good sounding band. Of the music he said they were a "nice style band" that could play for dancing.

He played in Dave Taylor's "Taylor's Dixieland Orchestra (Serenaders)" from 1929, with his first known recording in 1931, as a vocalist and on alto sax. In 1934 he moved to New York City, where he played with Charlie Alexander before joining the house band at the New York night club, the Savoy Ballroom. In 1936 he played with Fats Waller, primarily alto sax, this time was clearly highly influential on Tolberts own style of writing and arranging. He played in a band with athlete Jesse Owens in 1937. He next joined Snub Mosley's band and kept it going after Mosley left the group.

Freddie Green, Kenny Clarke, Red Richards, Otis Hicks (later "Lightnin Slim"), Carl "Tatti" Smith, Lem Johnson, Buddy Johnson, Theodore Carpenter, Leonard Hawkins Harry Prather, Clarence Easter, all played with Tolbert in the band, which recorded in 1939 under the name Tolbert's Gentlemen of Swing. Babe Hines appears on the Vol 1 collection, Yack Taylor on the second, both were featured female vocalists. Tolbert made a point in his recordings to have women sing basically solo blues ballads on at least a few songs in each album recorded. Rarely did he use a single male lead and favored a call and response style leader/chorus. He uses elements of 20's, Vaudeville, style in many of his tunes, primarily minor blues, but some with a more darker, lyrical, style. None of his songs ever charted or became "standards" but were more intended for dancing in nightclubs and living rooms. Bold in his writing style, Tolbert was influenced by Fats Waller. In his tune, "Baby You're A Fine Piece of Meat," he uses the line, "you got... the right size feet", a reference to Waller's "Your feets too big." Tolbert also emulated Waller's style of writing odd tunes such as that one, "The Stuff's Out," "Papa's In Bed With His Britches On," others with somewhat silly lyrics. Tolbert recorded with this ensemble for three years for Decca Records, which at the time also published Louis Jordan. Tolbert's style evoked many eras of blues, vaudeville, and jazz fusion.

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