Image Source: Wikipedia

Henry Wells

Henry James Wells (born 1906, in Dallas) was an American jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader. He was the brother of Dicky Wells.

Wells studied at Fisk University and the Cincinnati Conservatory, and worked professionally starting in the late 1920s. He joined Jimmie Lunceford's band in 1929 and remained with him until 1935; during this time, he also played with Cab Calloway and Claude Hopkins. From 1936 to 1941 he worked intermittently with Andy Kirk, and played with him again in 1946; he left Kirk's employ temporarily to put together his own band and to complete a stint in the U.S. Army. During his time with Kirk, he was often employed as a vocalist, including on recordings. He also played with Gene Krupa and Teddy Hill in the early 1940s. After World War II he worked with Rex Stewart and Sy Oliver; he was active as a performer on the West Coast into the 1960s.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1906 (Dallas), Died 20th century (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930 - 1946

Roles Represented in DAHR: trombone, vocalist, leader, lyricist

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 134 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-62599 10-in. 6/6/1930 In dat mornin' Moses Allen ; Chickasaw Syncopators ; Jimmie Lunceford Jazz/dance band, with talk instrumentalist, trombone  
Victor BVE-62600 10-in. 6/6/1930 Sweet rhythm Chickasaw Syncopators ; Jimmie Lunceford Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trombone  
Victor BS-82220 10-in. 3/20/1934 Here goes Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra ; Henry Wells Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Victor BS-82221 10-in. 3/20/1934 Remember when Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra ; Henry Wells Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Victor BS-023420 10-in. 5/23/1938 Little Joe from Chicago Wingy Manone Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Decca 38531 10-in. 9/4/1934 Sophisticated lady-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38532 10-in. 9/4/1934 Mood indigo Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38533 10-in. 9/4/1934 Rose room-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38534 10-in. 9/4/1934 Black and tan fantasy-1 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38535 10-in. 9/4/1934 Stratosphere-3 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38541 10-in. 9/5/1934 Nana-1 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38542 10-in. 9/5/1934 Miss Otis regrets-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38543 10-in. 9/5/1934 Unsophisticated Sue-3 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38544 10-in. 9/5/1934 Star dust-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38915 10-in. 10/29/1934 Dream of you-1 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 38916 10-in. 10/29/1934 Shake your head (from side to side) Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38917 10-in. 10/29/1934 Stomp it off-1 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38918 10-in. 10/29/1934 Call it anything (It wasn't love)-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38967 10-in. 11/7/1934 Because you're you-1 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38968 10-in. 11/7/1934 Chillun, get up!-1 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 38969 10-in. 11/7/1934 Solitude Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 39169 10-in. 12/17/1934 Rain-1, 3 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 39170 10-in. 12/17/1934 Since my best gal turned me down-1, 3 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone  
Decca 39171 10-in. 12/17/1934 Jealous-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
Decca 39172 10-in. 12/18/1934 Rhythm is our business-2 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra instrumentalist, trombone, vocalist  
(Results 1-25 of 134 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wells, Henry," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109728.

Wells, Henry. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109728.

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

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109728

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.