- Boyd Atkins
Boyd Atkins was an American
jazz and blues reed player.Atkins first played in the
St. Louis, Missouri musical scene with the bands ofDewey Jackson andFate Marable early in the 1920s. Following this Atkins moved toChicago and led his own band while also working withEarl Hines . In 1927, Atkins joinedLouis Armstrong 's band at the Sunset Cafe in Chicago, where he played clarinet along with soprano and alto saxophone. Armstrong's band played Atkins' most famous tune, "Heebie Jeebies ". Later in the 1920s he again led his own band, The Firecrackers.Between 1931 and 1934 he played with
Eli Rice , and became a bandleader inMinneapolis in the middle of the decade. He also played withRook Ganz there. In 1940 he fronted theSociety Swingsters inPeoria, Illinois . In the 1950s he took more work as an arranger, and played more often with blues musicians such asElmore James andMagic Sam .Atkins' birth and death dates are unknown.
References
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3cfuxqq5ldfe~T1 Boyd Atkins] at
Allmusic
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