Jack Bland
Jack Bland (May 8, 1899 – August 1968) was an American jazz banjoist and guitarist. Born in Sedalia, Missouri, Bland co-founded the Mound City Blue Blowers with Red McKenzie in 1924 in St. Louis. Their first hit record was "Arkansas Blues", a success in Chicago and the American midwest. After Eddie Lang joined the group late in 1924, the group booked a tour in England. Later in the 1920s, Bland began playing more cello and guitar. In 1929, Lang left the group, and Gene Krupa joined; Muggsy Spanier, Coleman Hawkins, and Eddie Condon would all play in the ensemble in the 1930s, which moved to more of a Dixieland sound. Also in 1929, the Blue Blowers appeared in a 1929 short film, The Opry House. In 1932 Bland did session work in New York City with the Rhythmakers, a recording ensemble featuring singer Billy Banks, with Pee Wee Russell, Red Allen, and Zutty Singleton. Musicians Pops Foster and Fats Waller also played with the group at times. In the 1940s Bland played on 52nd Street at Jimmy Ryan's Club, playing with Allen and Singleton as well as Edmond Hall, Vic Dickenson, Ike Quebec, and Hot Lips Page; some of their sessions were recorded by Milt Gabler and released on Commodore Records. From 1942 to 1944 he played with Art Hodes and also with Muggsy Spanier; he led his own band from 1944 to 1950. In the 1950s, Bland moved to Los Angeles and retired from performing, taking work as a taxicab driver. He died there on October 18, 1968. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Sedalia (city in and county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States), Died October 31, 1968 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1925 - 1940
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, leader, composer, banjo, 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-56151 | 10-in. | 9/25/1929 | Tailspin blues | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-56152 | 10-in. | 9/25/1929 | Never had a reason to believe in you | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-57145 | 10-in. | 11/14/1929 | Hello Lola | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-57146 | 10-in. | 11/14/1929 | One hour | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Columbia | W351052 | 10-in. | 6/30/1931 | Darktown Strutters' Ball | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Columbia | W365050 | 10-in. | 6/30/1931 | You rascal you | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Brunswick | E16305-E16307 | 9/1/1925 | If you never come back | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band | composer | ||
| Brunswick | E16795-E16797 | 10-in. | 10/29/1925 | If you never come back | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 596W-598W | 10-in. | 3/24/1925 | Wigwam blues | McKenzie’s Candy Kids | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 1070W-1071W | 10-in. | 8/7/1925 | Happy children blues | McKenzie’s Candy Kids | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Decca | 67059 | 10-in. | 1/16/1940 | I've found a new baby | George Wettling's Chicago Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
| Decca | 67060 | 10-in. | 1/16/1940 | Bugle call rag | George Wettling's Chicago Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
| Decca | 67061 | 10-in. | 1/16/1940 | I wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate | George Wettling's Chicago Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
| Decca | 67062 | 10-in. | 1/16/1940 | Darktown Strutters' Ball | George Wettling's Chicago Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
| ARC | 12119 | 10-in. | 7/26/1932 | I'd do anything for you | Billy Banks ; Rhythmakers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| ARC | 12452 | 10-in. | 10/8/1932 | Who stole the lock | Henry Allen ; Jack Bland ; Rhythmakers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| ARC | 12453 | 10-in. | 10/8/1932 | A shine on your shoes | Jack Bland ; Chick Bullock ; Rhythmakers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| ARC | 12454 | 10-in. | 10/8/1932 | It's gonna be you | Jack Bland ; Chick Bullock ; Rhythmakers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| ARC | 12455 | 10-in. | 10/8/1932 | Someone stole Gabriel's horn | Henry Allen ; Jack Bland ; Rhythmakers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bland, Jack," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110439.
Bland, Jack. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110439.
"Bland, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jack Bland
Discogs: Jack Bland
Allmusic: Jack Bland
Grove: Jack Bland
IMDb: Jack Bland
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Bland, Jack, 1899-1968 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97009996
Wikidata: Jack Bland - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1676981
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/228385336
MusicBrainz: Jack Bland - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6f188716-bf38-4b27-8e71-b910f684dad5
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