Ted Sturgis

Ted "Mohawk" Sturgis (25 April 1913 – 18 October 1995) was an American jazz bassist.[1][2]

Sturgis started on piano at age five and played alto saxophone, guitar and drums in addition to bass. He primarily played double-bass, although he played electric bass on some recordings late in life. He played with Roy Eldridge and Eddie Mallory in New York City in the 1930s, and appears on a 1943 Eldridge recording for Brunswick.[3]

He then worked as a sideman in the 1940s with, among others, Benny Carter, Don Byas, Stuff Smith, and Louis Armstrong. He was a frequent accompanist of female singers such as Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey, and in Earl Hines' orchestra with Sarah Vaughan.[1]

In the 1950s and 1960s Sturgis worked extensively as a freelance musician, and played often in USO events. His credits aside from bass playing include guitar with Lester Young and drums with Stuff Smith. He recorded his last dates as a leader in 1976 but continued to play into the 1980s with Spanky Davis, eventually retiring around the end of the decade.

References

  1. 1 2 Gourse, Leslie (2009) Sassy: The Life of Sarah Vaughan, p. 21. Da Capo Press At Google Books. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Rye, Howard. "Sturgis, Ted (1913 - 1995), double bass player". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.j702300. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  3. ↑ Campbell, Robert L.; Bukowski, Leonard J. and Büttner, Armin "The Tom Archia Discography"
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