Rudy Powell

Rudy Powell (later Musheed Karweem) (October 28, 1907 – October 30, 1976) was an American jazz reed player.

Born in New York City, United States, Powell learned piano and violin while young and then clarinet and saxophone. In the late 1920s, he played with June Clark, Gene Rodgers's Revellers, and Cliff Jackson's Krazy Kats (1928–1930).

He never recorded as a leader, but worked extensively as a sideman throughout his career. Among his credits are (in roughly chronological order) Elmer Snowden, Dave Nelson, Sam Wooding, Kaiser Marshall, Rex Stewart (1933), Fats Waller (1935–37), Edgar Hayes, Claude Hopkins (1938–39, 1944), Teddy Wilson, Andy Kirk (1940–41), Fletcher Henderson (1941–42), Eddie South, Don Redman (1943), Chris Columbus, Cab Calloway (1945–48), Lucky Millinder (1949–51), Jimmy Rushing, Buddy Tate, Benton Heath (1953–61), Ray Charles (1961–62), Buddy Johnson, Duke Ellington, and Saints & Sinners (1965–69). He continued playing intermittently into the 1970s.

Powell appears in A Great Day in Harlem.

Powell also belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

He died in October 1976, at the age of 69.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 28, 1907 (New York City), Died October 30, 1976 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: clarinet, alto saxophone, saxophone

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

Recordings (Results 51-54 of 54 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 80409 1/18/1951 Love never comes around Erskine Hawkins Orchestra instrumentalist, alto saxophone  
Decca 80410 1/18/1951 Nona-1 Erskine Hawkins Orchestra instrumentalist, alto saxophone  
Decca 80411 1/18/1951 Please don't put me down Erskine Hawkins Orchestra instrumentalist, alto saxophone  
Decca 80412 1/18/1951 Station break Erskine Hawkins Orchestra instrumentalist, alto saxophone  
(Results 51-54 of 54 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Powell, Rudy," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/112253.

Powell, Rudy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/112253.

"Powell, Rudy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/112253

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