Jon's archive https://archive.org/details/EarlWatkinsPlusLouieBellsonDrummerLegendsJonHammondInterview
Youtube https://youtu.be/4mu9CucaE7M
Earl Watkins Plus Louie Bellson Drummer Legends Jon Hammond Interview
The Lost Earl Watkins + Louie Bellson Interview Recording Found! Earl Watkins plus Louie Bellson legends drummer interviews with Jon Hammond HammondCast Earl Watkins long-time member of AFM Local 6 Board of Directors, San Francisco Jazz Drummer legend here with Jon Hammond - plus the late great Louie Bellson interview with Jon http://www.HammondCast.com ©JON HAMMOND International (excerpt SF Chronicle): "As a youth, Watkins was fascinated by the polyrhythmic drumming style of Gene Krupa, which, with help from teacher John Randolph, he adapted and put to use in groups led by Jimmy Brown, Buddy Collette, Johnny Cooper and others. After a World War II stint in the Navy, where he played in a band with Vernon Alley, another S.F. native, and Collette, Watkins settled in Berkeley and worked in Oakland haunts like Slim Jenkins and the Swing Club, where in the house band he backed many national jazz and blues acts. By the late '40s he became a mainstay at two of the top San Francisco clubs, Bop City and the Blackhawk. In 1956 Watkins launched into the big time with a seven-year gig in the band of pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines, who at various times had employed Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker. In the '60s, with the advent of rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll, work for jazz musicians began to diminish. But Watkins kept busy, playing for years in a band at Oakland's Claremont Hotel and getting other gigs here and there. In recent years, Watkins continued to work with Local 6, and he helped start the Fillmore Jazz Heritage Center, which is attempting to revive jazz in that neighborhood. In 2003, Congress awarded Watkins a certificate, dubbing him a certified jazz legend. After Watkins died last summer at 87, Peter Fitzsimmons, executive director of the Jazz Heritage Center, wrote a tribute including these words: "When it was time to identify the San Francisco 'Living Legends of Jazz' for the official Fillmore Heritage Center groundbreaking ceremony ... one call to Earl Watkins was all that was needed. He knew all the players." Louie Bellson wiki excerpt: "Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), known by the stage name Louie Bellson (his own preferred spelling, although he is often seen in sources as Louis Bellson), was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.[1] Bellson was an internationally acclaimed artist who performed in most of the major capitals around the world. Bellson and his wife, actress and singer Pearl Bailey[2] (married from 1952 until Bailey's death in 1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more). Birth name Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni Born July 6, 1924 Rock Falls, Illinois, U.S. Died February 14, 2009 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California Genres Jazz, big band, swing Occupation(s) Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader Instruments Drums Years active 1931–2009 Labels Roulette, Concord, Pablo, Musicmasters Associated acts Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald " Bellson was a vice president at Remo, a drum company.[3] He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985 Usage Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International Topics Earl Watkins, Louie Bellson, The Lost Recordings, Local 6, Musicians Union, Segregated Union, Drummer, San Francisco, Musical History, Earl Hines, HammondCast, Jon Hammond, Hammond organist, board of directors, Organization Language English
