September 10, 2006.
In 1983, during the first Kansas City Jazz Festival featuring
William “Count” Basie and the Count Basie Orchestra, 38 senior
musicians were inducted into the Elder Statesmen of Kansas City Jazz. This
festival celebrated Count Basie’s 79th and final birthday.
After that Labor Day weekend festival, Sam Johnson, Jr. along with other
musicians from the Mutual Musicians Foundation and Eddie Baker of the Charlie
Parker Memorial Foundation began assessing the needs of the senior music
community. This resulted in the formal development of a not-for-profit corporation
that became known as the Elder Statesmen of Kansas City Jazz, Inc.
Several induction ceremonies have been held throughout the years to honor
the achievements of senior musicians and music industry supporters as the
organization’s primary function. In 1999, the “Frank Smith Spirit
of Kansas City Jazz Awards” (FSSOKCJA) was created and developed in
memory of pianist, Frank Smith. These awards recognize musicians, industry
promoters and supporters who have made recent noteworthy accomplishments
that favorably impact Kansas City’s jazz and blues community.
The Elder Statesmen sponsor annual performances featuring the ever popular “Elder
Statesmen Big Band” and an “Outreach to Neighborhood and Community
Organizations.” The purpose of these performances is to team Kansas
City area high school music students with high quality senior musicians as
mentors.
The Elder Statesmen of Kansas City Jazz provides additional services to
area indigent and disabled musicians and assist in identifying other community
resources available to musicians in order to help them maintain a better
quality of life.
In 2006, the Elder Statesmen of Kansas City Jazz will usher in another group
of individuals to who will be awarded the title, Elder Statesmen of Kansas
City Jazz. This includes special recognition for the performing group, “The
Scamps” and the late Orestie “Rusty” Tucker who was a long
time member of that group.
The 2006 Honorary Chairpersons for Elder Statesmen activities are Kansas
City jazz activist and jazz web site creator, Dean Hampton, and original
Elder Statesmen class member, Arthur “Art” Jackson. Mr. Jackson
receives special honors as a founding member and as one of the surviving
original Board members. — Sam Johnson Jr.
2006 Inductees |
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Bob Brookmeyer
Dorothy Diebel
Louis W. Garrett
Dianne Gregg
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Dean Hampton
Sylvester Heath
Professor Dan Jaffe
Billie N. Jones
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Allen Monroe
Mozella Parker
Ron Ubel
William "Bill" Winbigler
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2004 Inductees |
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Donald Brown
Robert “Bobby” Perkins
Bloodstone
Ruby M. Jackson
Madison “Ray” Reed
Daniel “Danny” Cox
Sherry Jones
Maurice “Buddy” Reynolds
Professor Leo Davis
Delores “Babe” Lee
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Dr. Roland Sabates
Willis Draffen
Charles Love
Betty Shutts
Juretha “Judy” Dye
Charles McCormick
Gary Sivils
Jane Flynn
Dr. Sere Myers, Sr.
Eugene Smiley, Sr.
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Frank Fendorf, Sr.
Michael “Mike” Ning
Lester “Duck” Warner
Dwight Foster
Frank “Iron-Jaw” Oakley
Ollie W. Gates
Joseph “Joe” Oshiver
Kansas City Jazz Sextet + One
Harry Williams
Billie Mahoney
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2003 Inductees
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Harold Ashby
Priscilla Bowman
Robert Branstetter
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Alice Jenkins
Edith Kirk
Marilyn Maye
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Paul Smith
Teddy Stewart
Bernice Todd
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2002 Inductees
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Richard “Dick” Albrecht
Edward B. “Eddie” Baker
LaVerne Barker
Richard “Dick” Berkley
Lee Edward Brown
Ginney Coleman
Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Rudolph “Rudy” Dennis
Warren R. Durrett
Claude Ford
James “Gat” Gadson
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Thomas “Tutty” Gadson
Thomas Harold Gadson
Elvis “Sonny” Gibson
Curtis Harris
“K.C. Kelsey” Hill
Laura R. Hockaday
Dr. John Leisenring
Kenneth “Kenny” Lewis
Alex “King Alex” Littlejohn
Archie E. “Arch” Martin
Patricia L. “Pat Wilson” Maxwell
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Congresswoman Karen McCarthy
Stephen “Steve” Miller
Earlene Owens
Ober D. Payne
Russell Robertson
Linda Shell
Frank Trumbauer
William F. Trumbauer, Sr.
Harry W. Trotman
Rev. James W. Wilkins
State Representative Yvonne Wilson
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2000 Inductees
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Vincent J. Bilardo
Dr. Leslie Becker
Marlin Cooper
Donald “Big Don” Cox
Everette DeVan
Warren Durrett
John Elliott
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Michael “White Hat Mike”
Ross
Richard “Rich” VanSant
James “Jim” Smith
Rev. Nelson “Fuzzy”
Thompson
Annetta “Cotton Candy”
Washington
Robert Watson, Sr.
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“Groovy” Grant Hopkins
Mamie C. Hughes
Chris King
Doreen Morande
Ruth G. Shechter
Diane “Mama”Ray
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1999 Inductees
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Lucile Bluford
Dr. Ronnell Bright
Everett Brown
Ronald Brown
Pamela Calvin
Robert Clark
Marcie Cecil
Joanne M. Collins
Everett Dodd
Carl Fusaro
David Gambrell
Professor Joseph Hall
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Bonnie Ann Harris
Grace “Amazing Grace” Harris
Fred Hicks
William “Bill” Hodge
Richard “Dickey” Hunter
Raymond “Cowboy” Jones
John Layton
Russell “Russ” Long
Rev. Samuel “Sam” Mann
David McCubbin
Jack McHenry
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Irene McLaurian
Harvey “Poppa Duke” Moore
Monroe “Monty” Nash
Lonnie Newton
Geneva Price
Ruth Rhoden
Harold Rucker
Tom N. “Tommy” Ruskin
Dr. Rowena Stewart
Sellie Truitt
Julie Turner
William “Bill” Wilhm
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1996 Inductees
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Edwin “Ed” Billings
Donald “Big Don” Cox
Leon Estell
William “Billy” Freeman
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Sylvester “Buzz” Kirschner
Richard “Sarge” Myers
Donald Parsons
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James “Jim” Smith
Myra R. Taylor
Lawrence Wright
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1991 Inductees
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Samuel Alexander
L.B. Jackie Anderson
Edward “Eddie” Baker
Queen Bey
Leon Brady, Sr.
Gene Carter
Dr. William “Bill” Clark
Jesse Cole
Carol Comer
William “Bill” Crain
Oscar “Fats” Dennis
Donald Dixon
William Drybread
Emmett “Moon” Finney
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Paul Gunther
Luqman Hamza
Kathryn Harvey
Provine “Little” Hatch
Zella M. Moten-Hunter
Carroll Jenkins
Carmell Jones
Clarence “Sonny” Kenner
Simon “Cy” Ledgin
Carnell Lyons
Rudy Massingale
James “Jay” McShann
Peter “Pete” McShann
Oscar Charles Minor
Arthur Mitchell
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Dr. Chauncy Moten
Alfred “Al” Pearson
Godfrey Powell
Perry Reed
Professor Willie Rice
William Reisler
George Salisbury
Ben Roberts
Robert Simes
Frank Smith, Sr.
Calvin Whitmore, Jr.
Dr. Charmaine Asher-Wiley
James “Jimmy” Witherspoon
Dr. Richard “Dick” Wright
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1988 Inductees
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Milton Milt Abel
Ahmad Alaadeen
Herman Bell
Marsha C. Bland
Sandra “Sandy” Brown
Alfred Carter
Rufas J. CrawfordJohn Dellinger
Marshall DeMuynck
Rudolph “Rudy” Dennis
Cameron Gentry
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Eugene “Jeep” Griddine
J. Henry Hoard
William Hodges
Robert “Bobby” Hopkins
Harry Jones
Ruel Joyce
Marcellus M. Lee, Sr.
Lorenzo Manley
Arthur Jefferson
Eddie “Teapot” McClellan
Frank Miller
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Lennah Mitchell
John Mosley
Robert “Bob” Ousley
Fiermon Prymus
Glenn Richardt
Wayne Ruppenthal
Verlin “Flip” Stephenson
Orestie “Rusty” Tucker
Oscar “Lucky” Wesley
David Daahoud Williams
Alvin Zanders
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1983 Inductees
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Bernard “Step-Buddy” Anderson
LaVerne Barker
William “Count” Basie
Franz Bruce
Paul Cuminsky
Leon “Hurley” Dennis
Lawrence Denton
Elbert “Coots” Dye
Curtyse Foster
Sherman “Jack” Gibson
L.C. “Speedy” Huggins
Arthur “Art” Jackson, Sr.
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Samuel Johnson, Sr.
Ben Kynard
Samuel “Baby” Lovett
Orville “Piggie” Minor
Milton Morris
Frank Patterson, Jr.
Elmer Price
Earl Robinson
Adolph Roulette, Jr.
Eddie Saunders
William “Bill” Saunders
Gerald “Scotty” Scott
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Janie Scates
Roy Searcy
Brice “Bobby” Stafford
“Jumpin’ Joe” Joseph Thomas
Pearl Thuston-Brown
Oliver Todd
Herman “Happy Day” Walder
Booker T. Washington
Claude “Fiddler” Williams
Ernest “Ernie” Williams
Junior “J.R.” Williams
Ike Whitt
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