Israel Crosby
Israel Crosby (January 19, 1919 – August 11, 1962) was an American jazz double-bassist born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. One of the finest to emerge during the 1930s, he was also a member of the Ahmad Jamal trio for most of 1954 to 1962. He is credited with taking one of the first recorded full-length bass solos, on his 1935 recording of "Blues of Israel" with drummer Gene Krupa when he was only 16. Crosby died of a heart attack at age 43, two months after joining the Shearing Quintet. As Down Beat magazine explained in its obituary, "Early last month [August 1962], while the Shearing Quintet was at the University of Utah's jazz workshop, Crosby was not in the group; he had suffered blinding headaches and blurred vision and had taken a two-week leave of absence to return to Chicago, his home, for a hospital checkup. But before the group left the university, Shearing received a letter from the bassist in which he said he'd soon be well enough to return to the quintet. But Crosby never returned; he died of a blood clot on the heart in Chicago's West Side Veterans Administration Hospital on Aug. 11. He was 43." |
Birth and Death Data: Born Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America), Died August 11, 1962 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: string bass
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 36 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-100360 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | I'm a fool for loving you | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | BS-100361 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | Moonrise on the lowlands | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | BS-100362 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | I'll always be in love with you | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | BS-100363 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | Jangled nerves | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 30482 | 10-in. | 5/16/1941 | I lay a-dreamin' | Josh White | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, guitar, string bass, and drums | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 30483 | 10-in. | 5/16/1941 | Gotta go | Josh White | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, guitar, string bass, and drums | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 30484 | 10-in. | 5/16/1941 | Eve's apple tree | Josh White | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, guitar, string bass, and drums | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 30485 | 10-in. | 5/16/1941 | No good woman | Josh White | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, guitar, string bass, and drums | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 30486 | 10-in. | 5/16/1941 | She's a married woman | Josh White | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, guitar, string bass, and drums | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 30487 | 10-in. | 5/16/1941 | No good buddy | Josh White | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, guitar, string bass, and drums | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Mercury | 430 | 10-in. | 1946 | Swanee River boogie | Albert Ammons and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Mercury | 431 | 10-in. | 1946 | Why I'm leaving you | Albert Ammons and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Mercury | 432 | 10-in. | 1946 | I don't want to see you | Albert Ammons and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Mercury | 1169 | 10-in. | 1947 | Roses of Picardy | Albert Ammons and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Mercury | 1362 | 10-in. | 1947 | Tuxedo boogie | Albert Ammons and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Mercury | 1364 | 10-in. | 1947 | Bear den boogie | Albert Ammons and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Master | M293 | 10-in. | 3/23/1937 | Now you're talking my language | Chu Berry ; Stompy Stevedores | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Master | M294 | 10-in. | 3/23/1937 | Back home again in Indiana | Chu Berry ; Stompy Stevedores | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Master | M295 | 10-in. | 3/23/1937 | Too marvelous for words | Chu Berry ; Stompy Stevedores | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Master | M296 | 10-in. | 3/23/1937 | Limehouse blues | Chu Berry ; Stompy Stevedores | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Decca | 90445 | 10-in. | 11/16/1935 | In the dark-1 | Jess Stacy | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 90446 | 10-in. | 11/16/1935 | Barrelhouse | Jess Stacy | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 90447 | 10-in. | 11/16/1935 | The world is waiting for the sunrise | Jess Stacy | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 90448 | Go back where you stayed last night-1 | Jess Stacy | instrumentalist, string bass | ||||
| Decca | 90460 | 10-in. | 11/19/1935 | The last round-up | Gene Krupa and his Chicagoans | instrumentalist, string bass |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Crosby, Israel," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106018.
Crosby, Israel. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106018.
"Crosby, Israel." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Israel Crosby
Discogs: Israel Crosby
Allmusic: Israel Crosby
Grove: Israel Crosby
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Crosby, Israel - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88644168
Wikidata: Israel Crosby - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1674591
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/10032859
MusicBrainz: Israel Crosby - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/354cbda4-f966-4cf6-b3a0-d37a73199e6f
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