Imagine if you will an early 20th century musician and bandleader who performed in many stylish venues in great cities including Havana, Cuba; Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Denver,....and Mooringsport, Louisiana.
EARLY LIFE
Charles Byron "Ham" Crawford (1898*-1949) was born in Plum, Texas; the son of William Randell "Willie" and Luradeen Burton Crawford. A veteran of World War I, he had served in Company B of the the 111th Field Signal Battalion and was noted returning to the United States in May 1919 from Brest, France on board the U.S.S. Patricia.
*Certain official documents as well as his gravestone state he was born in 1898. However his passport application, that bears his personal signature, listed his birth date as 24-Oct-1897.
Note: Since he went by "Ham" during his professional music career, which is the primary focus of this work, that name will be used going forward. Its origin is not known. Perhaps it referred to his showmanship, given the often flamboyant style of the music he performed.
MUSIC CAREER
Shortly after military discharge, Ham migrated to El Paso, where he and his band were to play for a dance. No prior mention of his music prowess has been found, but the advertisement implies he already had some existing level of renown.
El Paso Times 09-Nov-1919, Page 18
One month earlier, he had married the former Stevie Graves in that city. Her maiden name was Hughes, but she had been previously married to Kahn Forrest Graves. The 1920 U. S. Census, taken in February, listed Ham and Stevie as residents of Eastland, Texas; a small town slightly less than 100 miles west of Fort Worth. Interestingly, his birthplace was identified as Brazil, with American citizen noted beside.
In November 1920 Ham applied for a U. S. passport for the purpose of traveling to Havana, Cuba. His occupation was noted as "musician" with "Plaza Hotel" as place of employment.
U. S. Passport Applications, Ancestry.com
Ham and his "Orchestra of Havana, Cuba" were advertised to appear at Hawley's Hall in Marshall Texas the day after Christmas 1921. Also under that name, they were later billed to to perform in Mooringsport, Louisiana on 07-Jan-1922, presumably at the local clubhouse, as it was then the popular site for such functions in that community.
Times 07-Jan-1922, Page 8
Source: Mooringsport Mini-Museum
Other area appearances noted around this time included dance engagements at Alexandria (May-1922), and Monroe (Jun-1922).
While in the area, he also established a music conservatory in Shreveport....
Times 22-Mar-1922, Page 11
...and advertised his availability for more dance gigs.
Times 30-Mar-1922, Page 8
Note: Jasper Donald Tompkins (1900-1992) was noted to have organized many dances in Shreveport in the early 1920s. Identified as a city health inspector on his World War I draft registration, he was listed as a musician in the 1924 city directory. By 1947 he was employed at Peoples Pharmacy in an unspecified capacity. He was living in Ventura, California when he passed away..
Citing a 30-Sep-1922 issue of Billboard Magazine, a website dedicated to jazz musician and songwriter Larry Conley states Ham was part of Conley's band performing in Tampico, Mexico in 1922.
Citing a 30-Sep-1922 issue of Billboard Magazine, a website dedicated to jazz musician and songwriter Larry Conley states Ham was part of Conley's band performing in Tampico, Mexico in 1922.
Below, Ham with the "Louisiana Five" were announced to be performing in Phoenix, Arizona in September 1922.
Arizona (Phoenix) Republic 11-Sep-1923, Page 8
Note the Louisiana Five was a popular dixieland jazz group in the late 1910s. Neither Wikipedia, nor a separate jazz historian's website dedicated to the band mentions any association of Ham to it or its recordings. Perusal of other works discussing the band also did not reveal a connection. The original members split around 1920, with three - Joe Cawley, Al Nunez, and Karl Burger; continuing to perform under that name. Another went out separately, billing his group as "Anton Lada and his Louisiana Five." Whether the "Five" of which Ham was a part was a derivative of either, or an entirely separate group is not known. They did however attempt to capitalize on the reputation of the original.
A little over a month later, it's noted in an 21-Oct-1923 newspaper article that the Louisiana Five "syncopators" were in their second week appearing at Grauman's Metropolitan (later Paramount) Theater: in Los Angeles..
Source: Martin Turnbull
In November, the troupe moved on to Loew's Warfield Theater in downtown San Francisco.
San Francisco Examiner 03-Nov-1923, Page 13
From there it was across the bay to Oakland. G. B. McKay was leader/manager and Ham, featured performer.
Oakland Tribune 17-Nov-1923, Page 14
At the same time, another jazz group, the "Louisiana Ramblers," were playing a dance in Marshall, Texas.
Marshall (TX) Messenger 14-Nov-1923, Page 4
Also that month, the Ramblers performed at a Thanksgiving dance in Shreveport, with the aforementioned Tompkins listed as organizer.
Times 28-Nov-1923, Page 8
Other 1923 California scheduled performances by the Louisiana Five, including Ham:
Santa Cruz Theater 09-Dec-1923
San Bernadino Opera House 29 & 30-Dec-1923
Now with the Ramblers in July 1924, Ham again toured the west that year. His old group continued to perform as the "Louisiana Syncopators." One article referred to that group as "composed of men who never saw Louisiana, but who are all star performers.
Arizona Republic 23-Jul-1924, Page 9
Ham and Louisiana Ramblers were said originators of Edison label records "Clarinet Squawk" and "Yelping Hound Blues." If accurate (that he was at some point with the "original" five), this would however actually be referring them, but used as selling point for the current band.
As stated previously, other than later claims, no evidence tying Ham to the original Louisiana Five has been found. Whether a part or not at the time of their recording, the songs by that group linked below at least give the reader a taste of the kind of music played by Ham and his band.
Below, a Spanish language advertisement for a 1925 New Mexico performance.
Soccoro (NM) El Defensor Del Pueblo (Ombudsman) 25-Sep-1925, Page 4
Frequently returning to Texas and Louisiana, he was said to be "known coast to coast" when leasing the Sky Roof Garden in Alexandria, Louisiana in December 1925. There is no mention of the Ramblers. The band is simply referred to as "his Orchestra."
Alexandria (LA) Town Talk 11-Dec-1925, Page 11
Town Talk 22-Dec-1925, Page 9
Other Alexandria performances included the opening of a new pharmacy, and a Mardi Gras ball.
Back out west in 1926 and 1927, among other performances, Ham and entourage appeared at the Egyptian Theater in Ogden, Utah at Riverside Park in Phoenix (both in September), and later at Danceland in Boise, Idaho (October). An article about a scheduled appearance at the Bon Ton ballroom in Denver October 1 stated the band (Ham Crawford and his Louisiana Syncopators) was from New Orleans, and their slogan is "Red hot and still a-heatin'!". It's not clear if this was his former group rejoined, or a whole new band.
An 25-Dec-1927 advertisement for an upcoming New Year's Eve dance at Shreveport's Washington Hotel billed the Louisiana Ramblers, said now "rejuvenated, reorganized," to be playing. Ham was not mentioned.
1928 and 1929 were busy years for Ham and company. A query of his name in a newspaper archive turned up over 200 entries during that period. Too many to list all, the following are some selected engagements:
Feb-1928
Colonial Theater - Indianapolis
Apr-1928
Legion Hall - Santa Fe, NM
Riverside Park - Phoenix
Jul-1928
El Patio Ballroom - Albuquerque, NM
Arkeon - Casper, WY
Below, a rare photograph of the band. Though no one is named, given that Ham was leader and played woodwinds, the clarinetist at center behind the drum wearing glasses is likely him.
Casper Star-Trubune 26-Jul-1928, Page 8
 |
| 1920 passport photo vs. 1928 band pic above |
Feb-1929
The Bluebird - Salt Lake City, UT
Sep-1929
Warnococo Ballroom - Greely, CO
Dec-1929
Armory Hall - Longview, TX
Having returned to Texas for a while, Ham and his now unnamed orchestra, said of Tyler, played a dance in nearby Longview in March 1930. A few days earlier they played for the opening of a bank in Bastrop, LA (then "of Denver"). Several more Longview dates were noted throughout 1931, including in April, July, and October. A dance in Pampa, Texas on 02-Aug was the only scheduled performance found in 1932.
In the 1933 Tyler city directory, Ham and Stevie were listed as residents living at 415 East Ferguson. Advertised performances that year included Shreveport (Apr-1933), Timpson, Texas (Apr-1933), and Longview (Jul-1933).
In the 1933 Tyler city directory, Ham and Stevie were listed as residents living at 415 East Ferguson. Advertised performances that year included Shreveport (Apr-1933), Timpson, Texas (Apr-1933), and Longview (Jul-1933).
Another Boise advertisement, this time from October 1933, again claimed Ham to be one of the original Louisiana Five, specifically citing the later Edison recordings.
(Boise) Idaho Statesman 13-Oct-1933, Page 10
An accompanying article stated the nine-piece troupe was performing in Klamath Falls, Oregon; along the way to its ninth appearance at Fisher's Arcadia in Oakland. Master of ceremonies Tye Huey was also noted to be a blues singer. Several days later they were found in Medford, Oregon; performing at the club Dreamland as Ham Crawford with his nine-piece "Call Of The South" orchestra.
Klamath Falls (OR) 17-Oct-1933, Page 8
In January 1934, he performed again in Klamath Falls, Back in Texas in September, Ham and Stevie announced they were opening the Hollywood Studio in the Mayme Hudson building on West Austin Street in Tyler. The last mention found of Ham as a musician was regarding a dance held in Longview in July 1943, where his orchestra provided the music.
Ham and Stevie divorced at some unknown point. His World War II draft registration, recorded on 16-Feb-1942, listed his father as next-of-kin. At that time Ham was a resident of San Antonio, TX. A social column noted her attending a family gathering (sans mention of Ham) at Caddo Lake State Park in May 1944, while she was listed as living alone and working as a waitress in Marshall, Texas in 1946.
DEATH
Charles Byron "Ham" Crawford passed away 27-Oct-1949 in Reedsport, Oregon; where he had moved from Portland. He was apparently incapacitated later in life due to an undisclosed illness. The Vanport disaster mentioned below was a flood of the Columbia River that literally washed away the hastily-constructed community thrown up during World War II to address a housing shortage for workers in local war industries and their families. If that was in fact his prior home, he was likely living in or near poverty at that time.
There is no mention of his music background in either his Oregon or Texas obituary. Of course with Stevie out of the picture, and no children, remaining family might not have had knowledge of the details of his life's journey. There is note of an interest in photography and connection to the local newspaper. However it's never stated if there was a connection (i.e., he took photos for the paper) or just two unrelated facts about him.
There is no mention of his music background in either his Oregon or Texas obituary. Of course with Stevie out of the picture, and no children, remaining family might not have had knowledge of the details of his life's journey. There is note of an interest in photography and connection to the local newspaper. However it's never stated if there was a connection (i.e., he took photos for the paper) or just two unrelated facts about him.
Roseburg (OR) News-Review 01-Sep-1949, Page 4
Longview (TX) News-Journal 02-Sep-1949, Page 5
Ham is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler.
EPILOGUE
Former wife Stevie was married a couple of times after Ham - first to W. W. Nolan of Abilene in February 1947, then in September 1949 to Selman Lee Overstreet. She passed away in 1965 and is buried in Grange Hall Cemetery in Marshall. Her obituary identified her as a native of Carrolton, Mississippi.
No subsequent information has been found about Oregon wife, Lucille. Prior to Ham;s death, she was noted hosting a local ladies social club in her home in May 1948; and managing a grocery store and meat market for its owner in February 1949.
Jig Adams (clarinet)
Larry Conley (trombone)
Donald Goforth
Tim Kelly (clarinet, saxophone)
Joe "Wingy" Manone (trumpet)
Bauldie L. Merlino (accordian)
Gilbert Charles "Gib" O'Shauhnessy (trumpet)
Leonard "Rosie" Ross (trumpet)
Adolph Roth
Irvin Verrett (trombone)
A 28-Mar-1926 announcement for an engagement of the Bryson-Smith Hotel Youree Orchestra identified several members as former Louisiana Ramblers. Some or all may have performed with Ham.
Bob Cole (Saxophone)
Rome Landry (Drums)
Of note, another member of Bryson-Smith, Arthur "Shocky" Wilcox once played at the Mooringsport Clubhouse as one of "Buddy's Blue Melody Boys" in 1922.
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