Note(s)Joseph Lewis Thomas (1909-1984) was an American jazz trumpet player. He began his professional career playing briefly in a number of lesser-known bands, including those led by Cecil Scott (1928), Darrel Harris (1929) and Eli Rice (1930-2). His first major orchestra gig was with Fletcher Henderson (1934, 1935-6) then he went on to play with Baron Lee (1934-5), Willie Bryant (1937), Benny Carter (1939-40) and a host of others. Thomas led his own band briefly then worked with James P. Johnson, Joe Sullivan, Teddy Wilson and Barney Bigard during the 1940s. The following decades found Thomas doing primarily free-lance work while occasionally leading his own groups. Ill health in the 1970s forced him to curtail his activities.
Table of ContentsPage numbers here indicate page numbers for "Read Online" interface. Page numbers listed on transcripts may differ.