[Dixielandjazz] Re: Charles 'Truck' Parham

Sat, 8 Jun 2002 02:34:37 EDT

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> Note*  I wrote this piece in 2000 for the JIC  =20
> www.jazzinstituteofchicago.org
>=20
>=20
> Charles 'Truck' Parham
>=20
> by Jim Beebe
>=20
> 'Truck' Parham called me recently to tell me that WGN-TV was running a=20
> piece on him that night on their news show. I'm very glad that he did call=
=20
> as it was an excellent piece. Well deserved. WGN did about 15 minutes on=20
> Truck with nice interviews, pictures with Art Tatum, Pearl Bailey etc. and=
=20
> shots of him with Franz Jackson at Joe's Bebop Cafe.
>=20
> 88 years old, I couldn't believe it. Truck has forever seemed somewhere in=
=20
> his 50s to me and I have known him since about 1959=E2=80=9360. I came to=20=
Chicago=20
> in my youth with Bob Scobey's band and I was already a fan of Truck. I was=
=20
> in college and I had fallen under the spell of Muggsy Spanier's great band=
=20
> which had Darnell Howard, Floyd Bean, Ralph Hutchinson, Barrett Deems and=20
> Truck Parham. This band swung its ass off sparked by Muggsy's driving horn=
=20
> and driven along by Deem's and Truck's irresistible beat.=20
>=20
> The Korean war came along and I found myself in 1952 stationed at Treasure=
=20
> Island off of San Francisco. Muggsy and his band obliged me by coming ofte=
n=20
> to the Hangover Club in 'Frisco. Even though I was under age I was able to=
=20
> get in with the uniform on. I can never forget those wonderful nights with=
=20
> Muggsy, Truck & Co.
>=20
> I ended up in Chicago with Scobey and have been here ever since. It has=20
> been my great pleasure through these years to play with truly great Chicag=
o=20
> jazz musicians like Truck Parham. I have played many gigs with him since=20
> 1959=E2=80=9360...many bands and situations. Truck is always up for any jo=
b and=20
> always plays his butt off no matter who is on it or what the gig is. I've=20
> learned a great deal from working with him and I would like to publicly=20
> thank him.
>=20
>=20
> Truck at right with Roy Eldridge's band.=20
>=20
> In recent years Truck worked with my group several nights a week at Dick's=
=20
> Last Resort in North Pier. Dick's is a noisy, raunchy place with a=20
> contrived rowdiness scenario...bands every night as a backdrop. For severa=
l=20
> years Dick's had mostly jazz groups. Very few people ever paid much=20
> attention to the band...except when Truck Parham stepped out front to do a=
=20
> bluesy solo on his old painted over bass. When he started whanging out a=20
> blues line on those gut strings almost everyone in the place immediately=20
> paid attention.
>=20
> Truck would some times take off work when a family member was in need. A=20
> grandchild in another part of the country was in trouble or some family=20
> member needed help.... Truck would be there for them. And he usually got=20
> things straightened out.=20
>=20
>=20
> At the 1988 Chicago Jazz Festival. (Photo copyright =C2=A92000 by <A HREF=
=3D"http://www.geocities.com/ladenso1/index.html">Mark Ladenson</A>
> .)
>=20
> Truck saved the day on a weird gig back in the '60s. I can't remember who=20
> the leader was but we were flown in a chartered smaller plane to Lincoln,=20
> Nebraska to back up singer, Barbara McNair. Barbara was a fine singer and=20
> at the peak of her popularity. We arrived with a six piece group which=20
> included myself, Truck, Earl Washington on piano, Bobby Ballard on trumpet=
,=20
> someone on reeds and the drummer was hired from Lincoln.=20
>=20
> We arrived in the afternoon for a rehearsal at the hotel and McNair has=20
> charts for a 16 piece group. And this drummer is terrible...he thinks that=
=20
> time is a magazine. We struggled gamely through these charts and I'll neve=
r=20
> forget the look of sheer terror in Barbara's eyes. We could all see=20
> disaster looming. Truck took her aside and said gently..."Look, don't=20
> worry. Everything is going to work out."=20
>=20
> That night we get to the concert place and find more bad news. It is an=20
> arena and Barbara is going to be 50 yards or so from the band. Well, I'm=20
> here to report that Truck Parham stepped to the plate and saved the game.=20
> He completely ignored the hopelessly inept drummer and dug in with a bass=20
> line and beat that one could not miss. We got through the show okay and=20
> Barbara McNair was elated with relief.
>=20
> That's Truck Parham. He still makes the gigs, toting around his bass and=20
> amp like they were playthings. He is as strong as the boxer he was in in=20
> his youth. His bass has been painted over many times and other bassists=20
> stare in disbelief at this...one does not paint over a bass. But with thos=
e=20
> gut strings he gets a sound and beat that is distinctly his. He is a=20
> walking who's who of jazz. Jimmy Lunceford, Art Tatum, Billy Holliday, Len=
a=20
> Horne, Peal Bailey, Muggsy Spanier, Art Hodes and so many others have been=
=20
> graced by his presence.
>=20
> Truck has a great story involving himself years ago and a very young Jimmy=
=20
> Blanton. But it would be better if he told it.
>=20
> Swing on, Truck.
>=20
>=20

=20

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<HTML> 
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=3DCITE style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT=
: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Note*&nbsp; I wrote this piece=20=
in 2000 for the JIC&nbsp;&nbsp; www.jazzinstituteofchicago.org 
 
 
Charles 'Truck' Parham 
 
by Jim Beebe 
 
'Truck' Parham called me recently to tell me that WGN-TV was running a piece=
 on him that night on their news show. I'm very glad that he did call as it=20=
was an excellent piece. Well deserved. WGN did about 15 minutes on Truck wit=
h nice interviews, pictures with Art Tatum, Pearl Bailey etc. and shots of h=
im with Franz Jackson at Joe's Bebop Cafe. 
 
88 years old, I couldn't believe it. Truck has forever seemed somewhere in h=
is 50s to me and I have known him since about 1959=E2=80=9360. I came to Chi=
cago in my youth with Bob Scobey's band and I was already a fan of Truck. I=20=
was in college and I had fallen under the spell of Muggsy Spanier's great ba=
nd which had Darnell Howard, Floyd Bean, Ralph Hutchinson, Barrett Deems and=
 Truck Parham. This band swung its ass off sparked by Muggsy's driving horn=20=
and driven along by Deem's and Truck's irresistible beat. 
 
The Korean war came along and I found myself in 1952 stationed at Treasure I=
sland off of San Francisco. Muggsy and his band obliged me by coming often t=
o the Hangover Club in 'Frisco. Even though I was under age I was able to ge=
t in with the uniform on. I can never forget those wonderful nights with Mug=
gsy, Truck &amp; Co. 
 
I ended up in Chicago with Scobey and have been here ever since. It has been=
 my great pleasure through these years to play with truly great Chicago jazz=
 musicians like Truck Parham. I have played many gigs with him since 1959=
=E2=80=9360...many bands and situations. Truck is always up for any job and=20=
always plays his butt off no matter who is on it or what the gig is. I've le=
arned a great deal from working with him and I would like to publicly thank=20=
him. 
 
<IMG SRC=3D"http://jazzinstituteofchicago.org/jazzgram/images/truckwitheldr=
idge.jpg" WIDTH=3D"302" HEIGHT=3D"220" BORDER=3D"0"> 
Truck at right with Roy Eldridge's band. 
 
In recent years Truck worked with my group several nights a week at Dick's L=
ast Resort in North Pier. Dick's is a noisy, raunchy place with a contrived=20=
rowdiness scenario...bands every night as a backdrop. For several years Dick=
's had mostly jazz groups. Very few people ever paid much attention to the b=
and...except when Truck Parham stepped out front to do a bluesy solo on his=20=
old painted over bass. When he started whanging out a blues line on those gu=
t strings almost everyone in the place immediately paid attention. 
 
Truck would some times take off work when a family member was in need. A gra=
ndchild in another part of the country was in trouble or some family member=20=
needed help.... Truck would be there for them. And he usually got things str=
aightened out. 
 
<IMG SRC=3D"http://jazzinstituteofchicago.org/jazzgram/images/truck1.jpg" W=
IDTH=3D"210" HEIGHT=3D"300" BORDER=3D"0"> 
At the 1988 Chicago Jazz Festival. (Photo copyright =C2=A92000 by <A HREF=
=3D"http://www.geocities.com/ladenso1/index.html">Mark Ladenson</A>.) 
 
Truck saved the day on a weird gig back in the '60s. I can't remember who th=
e leader was but we were flown in a chartered smaller plane to Lincoln, Nebr=
aska to back up singer, Barbara McNair. Barbara was a fine singer and at the=
 peak of her popularity. We arrived with a six piece group which included my=
self, Truck, Earl Washington on piano, Bobby Ballard on trumpet, someone on=20=
reeds and the drummer was hired from Lincoln. 
 
We arrived in the afternoon for a rehearsal at the hotel and McNair has char=
ts for a 16 piece group. And this drummer is terrible...he thinks that time=20=
is a magazine. We struggled gamely through these charts and I'll never forge=
t the look of sheer terror in Barbara's eyes. We could all see disaster loom=
ing. Truck took her aside and said gently..."Look, don't worry. Everything i=
s going to work out." 
 
That night we get to the concert place and find more bad news. It is an aren=
a and Barbara is going to be 50 yards or so from the band. Well, I'm here to=
 report that Truck Parham stepped to the plate and saved the game. He comple=
tely ignored the hopelessly inept drummer and dug in with a bass line and be=
at that one could not miss. We got through the show okay and Barbara McNair=20=
was elated with relief. 
 
That's Truck Parham. He still makes the gigs, toting around his bass and amp=
 like they were playthings. He is as strong as the boxer he was in in his yo=
uth. His bass has been painted over many times and other bassists stare in d=
isbelief at this...one does not paint over a bass. But with those gut string=
s he gets a sound and beat that is distinctly his. He is a walking who's who=
 of jazz. Jimmy Lunceford, Art Tatum, Billy Holliday, Lena Horne, Peal Baile=
y, Muggsy Spanier, Art Hodes and so many others have been graced by his pres=
ence. 
 
Truck has a great story involving himself years ago and a very young Jimmy B=
lanton. But it would be better if he told it. 
 
Swing on, Truck. 
 
</BLOCKQUOTE> 
 
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