Jack Crawford & His Orchestra - Baltimore

Crawford worked in the larger ballrooms almost from the formation of the band in 1927 in the Midwest. Before the end of the band's first year, Crawford was on radio, and playing in a coast to coast tour. After the war, he formed combos and worked mainly for cocktail lounges and supper clubs. Crawford was an accomplished musician playing all the saxophones. He was one of the few exponents of the C Melody Sax, an instrument usually disdained by professionals. From his start as a leader in the late twenties, Crawford became a big Midwest favorite by the mid-30's, with a band which usually did not exceed ten musicians and a vocalist. Consistent air time from Midwest locations built his reputatuuion sufficiently to permit his agency to set up tours which took him coast-to-coast. During the World War II years (ca. 1942) he dropped the big band and formed a cocktail lounge combo of four musicians. This great record was made in 1927.