O'Neil Spencer
William "O'Neil" Spencer (November 25, 1909 – July 24, 1944) was a jazz drummer and singer. He is most known for his work in the John Kirby Sextet. He began with work for Al Sears and from 1931 to 1936 he worked with the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. He joined Kirby's group in 1937, but had to leave for a time in 1941 due to tuberculosis. He rejoined in 1942 staying until 1943, but died soon after from the disease. |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 25, 1909 (Cedarville), Died July 24, 1944 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1942
Roles Represented in DAHR: drums, vocalist, washboard
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 126-150 of 260 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 64775 | 10-in. | 11/30/1938 | The spider and the fly | Milt Herth Quartet | instrumentalist, drums, vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64776 | 10-in. | 11/30/1938 | Jump jump's here | Milt Herth Quartet | instrumentalist, drums, vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64777 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Honey | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 64778 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | September in the rain | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 64779 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Clouds | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 64780 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Julius Caesar | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums, vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64781 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Dunkin' a doughnut-1 | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65089 | 10-in. | 3/1/1939 | Annabella | Milt Herth Trio | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65090 | 10-in. | 3/1/1939 | The whistler and his dog | Milt Herth Trio | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65266 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | Moanin' dove | Lee Brown | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65267 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | Do your duty | Lether McGraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65268 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | Low down dirty groundhog | Lether McGraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65269 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | New little girl, little girl-1 | Lee Brown | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65270 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | I can lay it on down-1 | Lee Brown | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65271 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | Down by the M & o | Lee Brown | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65272 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | Jeff Davis highway | Lee Brown | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65273 | 10-in. | 3/24/1939 | Let me be your Bo Weevil | Lee Brown | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65310 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | Possum den blues | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65311 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | Little low mellow Mama-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65312 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | A working man's blues-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65313 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | One to twelve-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65314 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | Let's talk things over-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65315 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | Sinking sun blues-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65316 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | Easy way blues-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums | ||
| Decca | 65317 | 10-in. | 3/30/1939 | Machine gun blues-1 | Peetie Wheatstraw | instrumentalist, drums |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Spencer, O'Neil," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107086.
Spencer, O'Neil. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107086.
"Spencer, O'Neil." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: O'Neill Spencer
Discogs: O'Neil Spencer
Allmusic: O'Neil Spencer
Grove: O'Neil Spencer
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Spencer, O'Neil, 1909-1944 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n94048915
Wikidata: O'Neill Spencer - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2043379
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22328868
MusicBrainz: O'Neill Spencer - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/40727d52-6756-48d3-a26b-088541060865
ISNI: 0000 0000 6309 1588 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000063091588
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