Boyd Atkins
Boyd Atkins (1900 – March 1, 1965) was an American jazz and blues reed player. He played saxophone and violin professionally. Atkins was born in Paducah, Kentucky, United States. Atkins played with the Fate Marable band touring on the Mississippi River in the late 1910s. He was on the St. Louis, Missouri musical scene with the band of Dewey Jackson early in the 1920s. Following this Atkins moved to Chicago and led his own band which included Kid Ory. He also worked with Earl Hines and Carroll Dickerson. In 1927, Atkins joined Louis Armstrong's band at the Sunset Cafe in Chicago, where he played clarinet along with soprano and alto saxophone. Armstrong's band played Atkins' most famous tune, "Heebie Jeebies". Later in the 1920s he again led his own band, The Firecrackers. Between 1931 and 1934 he played with Eli Rice, and became a bandleader in Minneapolis in the middle of the decade. He also played with Rook Ganz there. In 1940 he fronted the Society Swingsters in Peoria, Illinois. He was back in Chicago by 1951, and in the 1950s he took more work as an arranger, and played more often with blues musicians such as Elmore James and Magic Sam. Atkins died in Cook County, Illinois, on March 1, 1965. Some details of Atkins' life are obscure, with his full date of birth unknown. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1900 (New Orleans), Died March 1, 1965 (Cook County)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1939
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, lyricist, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-042943 | 10-in. | 10/12/1939 | The heebie jeebies are rockin' the town | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W142476 | 10-in. | 7/29/1926 | Heebie jeebies | Ethel Waters and her Jazz Band | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano | songwriter | |
OKeh | 9534 | 10-in. | 2/26/1926 | Heebie jeebies | Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five | Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
OKeh | 74334 | 10-in. | Sept. 1926 | Heebie jeebies | Alberta Hunter | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance quartet | songwriter | |
OKeh | 80137 | 10-in. | 9/24/1926 | Heebie jeebies | The Goofus Five ; Ernest Hare | Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
OKeh | W404408 | 10-in. | 10/3/1930 | Heebie jeebies | The Three Boswell Sisters | Female vocal trio, with piano | songwriter | |
Brunswick | E36432 | 10-in. | 3/30/1931 | Heebie jeebie | Chick Webb Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | lyricist | |
Brunswick | E37113 | 10-in. | 8/27/1931 | Heebie jeebies | Boswell Sisters | Female vocal trio, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Brunswick | E3886-E3887 | 10-in. | 10/1/1926 | Heebie jeebies | Royal Flush Orchestra ; Fess Williams | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Atkins, Boyd," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/113094.
Atkins, Boyd. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/113094.
"Atkins, Boyd." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Atkins, Boyd - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006069318
Wikidata: Boyd Atkins - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q895909
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/7146844
MusicBrainz: Boyd Atkins - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5eed6ac9-627c-4321-bda4-fe93f9c231f8
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