Jimmy Crawford

For a drummer, there is probably no higher honor than to be forever associated with a certain kind of rhythmic groove. The musician then becomes something like a witch doctor specialist, the one customers have to travel to at their own great risk and expense because there simply is no substitute. That drummer Jimmy Crawford, not to be confused with country & western pedal steel guitarist of the same, is associated with the special Jimmie Lunceford shuffle is really no surprise. The two men went to high school together, played together in their first bands, and seemingly began developing the innovative Lunceford sound right there and then. Crawford's association with this bandleader has led to a pile of records that could bury a small dog. This pile would in turn seem insignificant compared to the drummer's entire discography, which by itself would be enough to keep a pressing plant busy day and night. Another pile of sides equally grand, if not larger, would consist of various compilations that would begin leaking tracks if Crawford was not present. Be it a collection of great drumming, great pianists, great female vocalists, great male vocalists, early jazz guitarists, the Memphis scene, the Chicago scene, the Kansas City scene, the Harlem scene...you name it, Jimmy Crawford is there laying down the beat. Crawford's professional career began with the very first of Lunceford's bands, the Chickasaw Syncopators. Crawford went on this group's first road tours and made huge contributions to the sound of the band. In 1933, the group enjoyed something of a breakthrough with a booking at New York's Lafayette Theater, followed by the Savoy the following year. The boisterous, lively drumming of Crawford was a constant source of support within the band, the players learning to...