[Dixielandjazz] RE: [Burt Wilson's bio]

[Burt Wilson]

Well, Bob asked me where my bio was and he will regret that.

CHAPTER I

I was born in Stockton, California on January 24, 1933. We moved to
Sacramento when I was three. My mother played piano by ear and sang and my
uncle was a vaudeville banjo player. My mother taught me how to play the
ukelele when I was seven. I learned quite a few songs.

In grammar school I took a music test and they shoved a baritone horn at
me. It was made out of scrap shrapnel from Chateau Thierry. When I got to
Jr. High, I joined the band and looked longingly at the long line of
trombone players and decided there was no economic future with a baritone
horn. However they would not let me play trombone in the band, so I
switched to orchestra and taught myself how to play the trombone. When I
graduated to high school, there I was--a trombone player in the Sacramento
High School band. 

I began improvising popular songs on the trombone in high school. I was a
radio freak and listened to Arthur Godfrey every day, waiting for him to
play banjo or ukelele. While twisting the dial, I came upon the "Cactus
Jack Western Hit Parade" from KROW out of Oakland. On the last 15 minutes
of his show Jack would play records by the Lu Watters Yerba Buena Jazz
Band. The first time I heard Turk Murphy, my musical direction was set.

When I was 14 I wandered into the Boy Scout bungalow behind the church
because I heard a guy playing "Maple Leaf Rag" on the piano. It was Sam
Charters. We talked a bit (he was three years older) and decided to get up
a band some day. He was going to backpack around Europe and would call me
when he got back.

I set about organizing a jazz band in high school for a variety show. This
was 1949. In that band was Phil Howe (Phil and I shared a love of Spike
Jones), Dutch Deutsch and Don Van Palta, who was fresh off the boat from
Holland. Sugar Willie Erickson was around, but playing French Horn in the
orchestra and writing music. John Robinson was also around, but he was
wowing the girls with his guitar.

Sam came back to Sacramento and in 1950 we got a band together for a
summer-long gig at a roadhouse called Whitehall between Placerville and
Lake Tahoe. In the band besides myself were Robinson and Palta on
banjos--they were forming their own dual piano act. That summer was a
coming of age summer for me and I write about it in my book "A History of
Sacramento Jazz." We had a great time. Some of the most fun was driving up
to the State Line after work and catching the 2 AM show at Harvey's Wagon
Wheel Club--usually Eddie Peabody. He was a real inspiration to Palta and
Robinson.

The next year we recorded in Sacramento--Big Chief Battle Axe and When the
Saints go Marching in. The record sold well at Tower but began showing up
in Goodwill stores in just six months!

We also made four sides at the old Trilon Studios in San Francisco (where
Scobey recorded)with Robinson and I playing banjos. Mickey Newbauer was on
trombone, Sam on Clarinet and Bill Mulhern on piano. Thought the cornet was
Ev Farey, but he says no. The sides were never released. Sam's call.

After high school I went to Sacramento Jr. College and Phil Howe and I
immediately got up a band we called "The Outhouse 8 - 2." Robinson and
Palta were on banjos. We were a hit at rallies and played some nice music.
One time we were on the Bill Rase radio show when Spike and Freddie Morgan
dropped by to promote their show that weekend. Spike and Freddie wouldn't
let Bill say anything as they kept saying, "let's hear the band Bill."
Freddie would howl,"Look, Spike, TWO banjos!" I couldn't believe that Spike
was actually dressed up in his yellow suit with the wide black checks!

I spent my last two years of college at the University of Southern
California where I did not play in the band, (I was a TV major) but I did
write and announce the half-time activities for the USC football band. I
must say it was some experience working with the great Trojan bandleader
Tommy Walker.

I also listened to a lot of jazz in LA. Kid Ory at the Beverly Caverns,
Rosy McHargue at the Hangover club. Wild Bill at Anne's 400 club, Scobey at
the Tiffany, Jack Teagarden at the Royal Room in Hollywood and Pete Daily
at the Astor in the Valley. One night I walked into the Beverly Caverns and
Tudie Garland was playing piano, chording. Kid told me that Harvey Brooks
was in an auto accident and hurt his hand. I asked Kid if I could sit in.
He said, sure, what do you want to play. I said, how about Bill Baily in
"F". He said OK and we played it. Then he asked what else I knew and I
said, "South in F." He said, "Original key is Eb." I said, I know buy I can
only play in F. He laughed. From then on when I came into the club he would
always ask me if I knew anyting in "F". Kid loved to tell stories and how
Louis Armstrong offered him "plen'y money" to join his All-Stars. But Kid
was happy in LA.

I graduated from USC in January (I worked my way through, by the way,
washing dishes and as a junior clerk in an ice house.) And went back to
Sacramento where I planed to hang around for 6 months before I volunteered
for the draft--I didn't want to bivouac in the winter--smart) and went to
work at the original Shakey's Pizza Parlor at 57th and J sts. in
Sacramento. Shakey and I hit it off right away and he asked me to play
piano in the back room when things weren't too busy. After a few weeks of
that, I told him I could get a good jazz band together for him. He jumped
at the idea, so I formed the Silver Dollar Jazz Band with Phil Howe,
Robinson & Palta, Sugar Willie and some other guys (See K.O.'s "JAZZ WEST")
we were a nine piece band with two trumpets and two banjos--just like
Watters. And Phil and I put together a bunch of Watters tunes for the band.
The timing was sensational and we played to a rowdy, packed house every
weekend. We each got $10 a night and all the beer and pizza we could hold.
One night we played an hour "live" on Sacramento's 50,000-watt KFBK where
Shakey had bought a program in which he played nothing but Dixieland--lots
of Watters and Murphy. We played at Shakye's from March until July, 1955,
when I had to go into the Army. Phil Howe took over the band when I
left--until he had to go into the Army.

We were not the "first" band to play at Shakey's. The first was Barry
Durkee's "Original Inferior Jazz Band," but we were the first band to be
HIRED to play at Shakey's. Some stories take on mythical overtones and it
all gets lost over time. Like, Shakey's back room could hold about 100
people but over 400 people have told me they were there the first night we
played.

END OF CHAPTER I

Burt Wilson
trombone
Silver Dollar Jazz Band