[Dixielandjazz] Dick Knutson Obit

[Robert Ringwald]

By Lewis Shaw

DC6 Leader Dick Knutson Succumbs to Cancer at 77
Kenton "Dick" Knutson, leader of the Desert City Six Dixieland Band for 51
years, succumbed to leukemia June 26 in Surprise, Arizona at the age of 77.
The DC6 grew out of a pickup band composed of members of the Phoenix Concert
Band who would have jam sessions after rehearsals. Originally from Michigan,
trombonist Knutson acknowledged he became leader because he was the one who
compiled the band's tune list. The group quickly evolved into a sought-after
dance and show band for conventions and society events in the Phoenix area.
Over the years they played everything from a Fireman's Ball to Governors'
Inaugurals, jazz cruises, the Playboy Club and for 10 years were the pep
band for the NBA Phoenix Suns where Knutson said "we played a lot of
'screamers' and never finished a tune." The band's first national exposure
came in 1977 when they were invited to the St. Louis Ragtime Festival on the
Goldenrod Showboat. Over the next 20 years, they performed at most of the
major festivals throughout the United States and Europe.
In the 1980s when the band had a weekly gig that featured vocalist Cheryl
Stephens at a Scottsdale resort, Knutson was the catalyst that precipitated
in the founding of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society which over the next
decade grew to more than 1,000 members. At the time, he was quoted as
saying, "Beyond playing for our own enjoyment, we are trying to develop an
audience that understands and enjoys traditional jazz. We play the old songs
in the style of the jazz masters, and we want our fans to participate
because that adds to the fun."
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--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
530/ 642-9551 Office
916/ 806-9551 Cell
Amateur (Ham) Radio K6YBV

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