June Cole

June Lawrence Cole (1903, Springfield, Ohio – October 10, 1960, New York City) was an American jazz bassist, tubist, and singer.

Cole's first major employment in music was with the Synco Jazz Band in Ohio; this group later became McKinney's Cotton Pickers while Cole was still a member. He left the Cotton Pickers in 1926 to play under Fletcher Henderson, with whom he stayed until 1928. While with Henderson he played on recordings behind Bessie Smith. In 1928 he toured Europe with Benny Peyton. He remained in Europe for over ten years, playing in the bands of Sam Wooding and Willie Lewis, but spent most of the years 1936-1939 out of music while recovering from a prolonged illness in Paris. He returned to the United States in 1941, leading his own bands in New York and playing in a quartet with Willie "The Lion" Smith in 1947. He continued playing locally in New York through the 1950s, and also ran a record store in Harlem.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1903 (Springfield), Died October 10, 1960

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1927

Roles Represented in DAHR: tuba, vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-38159 10-in. 3/11/1927 Oh! Lizzie Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra Jazz/dance band (takes 1 and 2); with female vocal solo (takes 3-6) vocalist  
Columbia W143125 10-in. 11/19/1926 Sweet thing Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia W144918 10-in. 10/27/1927 Dyin' by the hour Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, piano, and tuba instrumentalist, tuba  
Columbia W144919 10-in. 10/27/1927 Foolish man blues Bessie Smith Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, tuba, and piano instrumentalist, tuba  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cole, June," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112306.

Cole, June. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112306.

"Cole, June." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112306

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