Ben Thigpen
Ben Thigpen (November 16, 1908 – October 5, 1971) was an American jazz drummer. He is the father of drummer Ed Thigpen. He was born Benjamin F. Thigpen in Laurel, Mississippi. Ben Thigpen played piano as a child, having been trained by his sister Eva. He played in South Bend, Indiana with Bobby Boswell in the 1920s, and then moved to Chicago to study under Jimmy Bertrand. While there he played with many noted Chicago bandleaders and performers, including Doc Cheatham. He played with Charlie Elgar's Creole Band during 1927-1929 but did not record with them. Following this he spent time in Cleveland with J. Frank Terry, and then became the drummer for Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy, where he stayed from 1930 to 1947. Much of his work is available on collections highlighting the piano work of Mary Lou Williams, who also played in this ensemble. After his time with Kirk, Thigpen's career is poorly documented. He led his own quintet in St. Louis and recorded with Singleton Palmer in the 1960s. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 143 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 63258 | 10-in. | 2/8/1938 | I'll get by | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 63259 | 10-in. | 2/8/1938 | Little Joe from Chicago-1 | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64612 | 10-in. | 9/9/1938 | The gal that wrecked my life | Rodney Sturgis | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64613 | 10-in. | 9/9/1938 | Bless you, my dear | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64614 | 10-in. | 9/9/1938 | How can we be wrong? | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64615 | 10-in. | 9/9/1938 | Mess-a stomp-1 | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64642 | 10-in. | 9/2/1938 | Toadie toddle | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64643 | 10-in. | 9/2/1938 | won't tell a soul (I love you) | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64644 | 10-in. | 9/2/1938 | What would people say? | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64645 | 10-in. | 9/2/1938 | How much do you mean to me? | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64662 | 10-in. | 9/14/1938 | The pearls | Mary Lou Williams | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64663 | 10-in. | 9/14/1938 | Mr. Freddie blues | Mary Lou Williams | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64664 | 10-in. | 9/14/1938 | Sweet (Patootie) Patunia | Mary Lou Williams | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64665 | 10-in. | 9/14/1938 | The rocks | Mary Lou Williams | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64694 | 10-in. | 10/24/1938 | Jump Jack jump | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64695 | 10-in. | 10/24/1938 | Breeze | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64696 | 10-in. | 10/24/1938 | Ghost of love | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64697 | 10-in. | 10/24/1938 | What a life | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64698 | 10-in. | 10/25/1938 | Sittin' around and dreamin' | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64699 | 10-in. | 10/25/1938 | What's your story, morning glory? | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64777 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Honey | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64778 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | September in the rain | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64779 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Clouds | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64780 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Julius Caesar | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums | ||
Decca | 64781 | 10-in. | 12/5/1938 | Dunkin' a doughnut-1 | Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy | instrumentalist, drums |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Thigpen, Ben," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/210119.
Thigpen, Ben. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/210119.
"Thigpen, Ben." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Ben Thigpen
Discogs: Ben Thigpen
Allmusic: Ben Thigpen
Grove: Ben Thigpen
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Thigpen, Ben, 1908-1971 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no93027233
Wikidata: Ben Thigpen - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2895580
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/51877503
MusicBrainz: Ben Thigpen - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/05ad19f4-2ce3-4f2c-9022-6c29b9bc9922
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