Great story and determination on your part. Listening to The Fox in my collection, I'd like to also pay tribute to Land, one of my all time favorites. A great match for Bolton - he holds his own and then some. He was ready for Clifford Brown when that time came.
A good friend of mine graduated from college in the early 80's & went to work for PG&E in San Francisco. He lived on Hyde Street. I made about five trips to San Francisco in the 80's. At night we had drinks on the roof of the apartment building, with a good view of Alcatraz. During the day I would walk around the city. I think I covered almost every street. Your article has made me remember the street musicians I saw & heard. I remember a trumpet player. Could it have been Dupree? I hope it was. I'm going to tell myself it was him. Can't wait for part 2. The world is a small place, my Dad was born in Oklahoma City, & I live there now. It's going to be fun tracking down physical copies of the albums Dupree played on. GREAT ARTICLE!
Thank you for being on the front lines for so long, and delivering what you’ve already given us. I’m becoming an addict. When we play music, we meet great musicians - wherever we live.
Improvisation originated in the spoken word tradition and that’s why jazz is a word-of-mouth art form, not reliant on anything but - the music.
Blue Note reissued Katanga! as a superb Tone Poet edition in 2021. It’s mostly sold out but will likely get a repress, and is available on Discogs for not too much more than the price at release.
There's a long chapter on Dupree Bolton (and the search for him) in Richard Williams book "Long Distance Call: Writings on Music". I wonder if Ted and Richard Williams knew about each other's endeavors.
Nice to see Ted and Richard mentioned in the same sentence. Two outstanding journalists in their field. I'd love to listen in on any conversation between those two.
I've been an amateur genealogist for decades, so my first instinct was to research Dupree Bolton on ancestry.com. Here's what I found:
The 1930 census for Oklahoma City shows Dupree Bolton Jr., age one, living with his father, who is working as a cook in a cafe; I'm not sure where his mother is, but she's not living in that household with the two of them. By the 1940 census, the Bolton's were still living in Oklahoma City, with his father working as a laborer and his mother, Juanita, as a laundress; Dupree Jr. was the oldest of four siblings. By the 1950 census, however, Dupree Bolton, age 21, is listed as an inmate in the Los Angeles County Jail, with no other details given. 1950 is the most recent census available to the public. There are few other records other than a death record from Alameda County, California in June 1993, with a birthdate that matches the one given to Ted.
Excellently crafted story. What a loss for humanity for this man to be driven away from making decades more of recordings. I eagerly await part 2 to learn, perhaps, the whole story.
Amazing story. Great example of how our brain creates its own world, filtering out anything it is not primed for, and finding what you are looking for in the most unexpected moments. can’t wait for part two!
I was half asleep (it's 11:30 PM) when I started your story of Dupree Bolton, and I was suddenly surprised at how awake I was and how eagerly I was reading what you'd written. It's amazing you were able to find him and interview him and get part of his story! Any way to find his birth certificate or other government documents? Was he playing with convicts because he was in jail? Lot's of mysteries. Looking forward to the next part.
Great story… can’t wait to read part 2!
Well said, Kern
Great story and determination on your part. Listening to The Fox in my collection, I'd like to also pay tribute to Land, one of my all time favorites. A great match for Bolton - he holds his own and then some. He was ready for Clifford Brown when that time came.
So that's TWO great trumpeters we lost: Clifford Brown and Dupree Bolton. I have to admit I'd never heard of Bolton.
For a story like this with a happy ending, watch "Searching for Sugar Man."
A good friend of mine graduated from college in the early 80's & went to work for PG&E in San Francisco. He lived on Hyde Street. I made about five trips to San Francisco in the 80's. At night we had drinks on the roof of the apartment building, with a good view of Alcatraz. During the day I would walk around the city. I think I covered almost every street. Your article has made me remember the street musicians I saw & heard. I remember a trumpet player. Could it have been Dupree? I hope it was. I'm going to tell myself it was him. Can't wait for part 2. The world is a small place, my Dad was born in Oklahoma City, & I live there now. It's going to be fun tracking down physical copies of the albums Dupree played on. GREAT ARTICLE!
Thank you for being on the front lines for so long, and delivering what you’ve already given us. I’m becoming an addict. When we play music, we meet great musicians - wherever we live.
Improvisation originated in the spoken word tradition and that’s why jazz is a word-of-mouth art form, not reliant on anything but - the music.
Blue Note reissued Katanga! as a superb Tone Poet edition in 2021. It’s mostly sold out but will likely get a repress, and is available on Discogs for not too much more than the price at release.
Let's get that movie made! Who would play him on trumpet?
I'm wondering the same
There's a long chapter on Dupree Bolton (and the search for him) in Richard Williams book "Long Distance Call: Writings on Music". I wonder if Ted and Richard Williams knew about each other's endeavors.
Nice to see Ted and Richard mentioned in the same sentence. Two outstanding journalists in their field. I'd love to listen in on any conversation between those two.
You can see Curtis Amy, Bolton and the great Ray Crawford playing Katanga here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=514EvI2Oc-Q
Excellent! Thanks for this!
I've been an amateur genealogist for decades, so my first instinct was to research Dupree Bolton on ancestry.com. Here's what I found:
The 1930 census for Oklahoma City shows Dupree Bolton Jr., age one, living with his father, who is working as a cook in a cafe; I'm not sure where his mother is, but she's not living in that household with the two of them. By the 1940 census, the Bolton's were still living in Oklahoma City, with his father working as a laborer and his mother, Juanita, as a laundress; Dupree Jr. was the oldest of four siblings. By the 1950 census, however, Dupree Bolton, age 21, is listed as an inmate in the Los Angeles County Jail, with no other details given. 1950 is the most recent census available to the public. There are few other records other than a death record from Alameda County, California in June 1993, with a birthdate that matches the one given to Ted.
Excellently crafted story. What a loss for humanity for this man to be driven away from making decades more of recordings. I eagerly await part 2 to learn, perhaps, the whole story.
I believe he grew a big, thick, bushy mustache and supported several wars…
Amazing story. Great example of how our brain creates its own world, filtering out anything it is not primed for, and finding what you are looking for in the most unexpected moments. can’t wait for part two!
If you go to youtube, you'll find a couple of videos with Bolton, as well as the Fox and Katanga.
I was half asleep (it's 11:30 PM) when I started your story of Dupree Bolton, and I was suddenly surprised at how awake I was and how eagerly I was reading what you'd written. It's amazing you were able to find him and interview him and get part of his story! Any way to find his birth certificate or other government documents? Was he playing with convicts because he was in jail? Lot's of mysteries. Looking forward to the next part.
This is brilliant