True Blue Lou - Music

Clifford "Boots" Douglas Temple Texas 7 September 1908? - 2000 Was An American Jazz Drummer And Bandleader. He Toured In Texas In The 1930s With Boots And His Buddies One Of The Most Popular "territory Bands"* Of The Swing Scene Of San Antonio. Clifford “Boots” Douglas Was Born In Temple Texas Likely On September 7 1906 Or 1908. He Began Playing Drums In His Teenage Years And First Played Professionally In 1926 As A Member Of Millard McNeal’s Southern Melody Boys Of San Antonio. Douglas Formed His Own Band Called “Boots And His Buddies” Perhaps Deriving Their Name From The Comic Strip Boots And Her Buddies At Some Point In The First Half Of The 1930s And Played Gigs Around The State Of Texas Occasionally Venturing Into Neighboring States. Boots’ Buddies Began Recording In 1935 For RCA Victor With Their Recordings Issued On The Bluebird Label. They Continued To Record Until Late In 1938. With Douglas Arranging They Seem To Have Had A Tendency To “borrow” Music From Others And Play It Under Their Own Titles. Their Regional Popularity Rivaled That Of Fellow Texas Swing Man Don Albert And While Their Phonograph Records Gained Them Some Greater Recognition Outside Of Their Home State They Never Were Never Widely Known Outside Of Texas. Though The End Of The Swing Era Saw A Steady Decline In The Band’s Popularity Boots And His Buddies Were Still Playing Through The End Of The 1940s. In 1950 Douglas Finally Disbanded His Buddies And Relocated To Los Angeles California Where He Worked For The County Still Playing On The Side. According To Social Security Records He Died In 2000 At The Age Of Either 92 Or 94. * Territory Bands Were Dance Bands That Crisscrossed Specific Regions Of The United States From The 1920s Through The 1960s. Beginning In The 1920s The Bands Typically Had 8 To 12 Musicians. These Bands Typically Played One-Nighters 6 Or 7 Nights A Week At Venues Like VFW Halls Elks Lodges Lions Clubs Hotel Ballrooms And The Like. Francis Davis Jazz Critic For The Village Voice Likened Territory Bands To "the Top 40 Cover Bands Of The 1970s And 1980s Of Their Day Typically Relying On Stock Arrangements Of Other Ensembles' Hits." He Said "many Historians Give Much Credit To Territory Bands For Popularizing Modern Ballroom Dancing That Began During The World War I Era With The Influence Of Vernon And Irene Castle." Territory Bands Helped Disseminate Popular Music — Which Included Swing Jazz Sweet Dance Music Or Any Combination Thereof — Bringing It To Remote Gin Mills And Dance Halls That Were Otherwise Ignored By National Booking Agents Representing Genuine Recording Stars Like Ellington And Armstrong. Many Developed Original Repertoires And Signature Sounds None More Storied Than Walter Page's Blue Devils The Oklahoma City-Based Outfit That Count Basie Joined In 1926. read less