DOC CHEATHAM

Biography

Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, known as Doc Cheatham, was born on June 13, 1905, in Nashville, Tennessee, to parents of African American, Cherokee, and Choctaw descent. As a teenager, he took up the cornet and trumpet, studying under itinerant circus trumpeters Professor N. C. Davis and Professor C. M. Davis. He earned his nickname 'Doc' playing in a band at Meharry Medical College and in the pit orchestra at Nashville's Bijou Theatre, where he backed performers like Bessie Smith. Moving to Chicago in 1924, he was profoundly influenced by King Oliver, who gave him a treasured mute, and Louis Armstrong, shaping his smooth, soulful trumpet style blending classic New Orleans jazz, big band swing, and later Latin rhythms.[1][2][4][5]

Fun Facts

• Earned nickname 'Doc' from playing in a band at Nashville's historically black Meharry Medical College.
• Recorded on saxophone with blues legend Ma Rainey in 1927 as a teenager.
• Fired from Machito's band initially for struggling with clave rhythm but later mastered Latin jazz.
• Performed his last gig just two days before his death at age 91 on June 2, 1997.

Associated Acts

• Cab Calloway and His Orchestra - trumpet (1932–1939)
• McKinney’s Cotton Pickers
• Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra - trumpet
• The 360 Degree Music Experience

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Professor N. C. Davis and Professor C. M. Davis - itinerant circus trumpeter brothers who gave him trumpet lessons (none specified) [teenage years, early 1920s]
• King Oliver - major stylistic influence; gave him a mute used throughout career (heard in Chicago performances) [1924]
• Louis Armstrong - lifelong influence on trumpet playing (substituted for Armstrong at Vendome Theatre) [1925 onward]

Key Collaborators

• Cab Calloway - eight-year tenure in band, recommended by Benny Carter (Cotton Club performances) [1932-1940]
• Chick Webb - band member stint (none specified) [late 1920s]
• Benny Carter - recommended him to Cab Calloway; early collaborations (none specified) [early 1930s]
• Wilbur de Paris - multiple stints in band (none specified) [1927, post-WWII]
• Machito - Latin band; initially fired but later mastered clave rhythm (none specified) [1940s]
• Nicholas Payton - late-career duo recording (Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton (1996, Grammy-nominated)) [1990s]
• David “Fathead” Newman - saxophonist in his band (none specified) [1960s]
• Cyrus Chestnut - pianist who started in his band (none specified) [late career]
• Catherine Russell - singer who rose with his band (none specified) [late career]

Artists Influenced

• Theo Crocker - grandson continuing jazz legacy (none specified) [post-1997]
• Nicholas Payton - befriended and collaborated, influencing young trumpet virtuoso (Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton (1996)) [1990s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #dixieland, #jazz, #swing