Biography
Born on 1 March 1914 in Springfield, Illinois, and passing away on 15 September 1998 in Chicago, the percussionist known to many as Deemus began the 1930s alongside Paul Ash while simultaneously directing his own compact ensembles. By the close of that decade he had forged a close partnership with Joe Venuti that carried on into the mid-1940s. Subsequent engagements placed him in the orchestras of Red Norvo, Charlie Barnet and Muggsy Spanier. Promoted as the “World’s Fastest Drummer,” he projected an eccentric stage persona that the 1951 film Rhythm Inn preserved during an extended solo spotlight.
In 1954 Deems entered Louis Armstrong’s All Stars, accompanying the group on international tours and appearing both in the motion picture High Society and in the Ed Morrow television documentary Satchmo The Great, each released in 1956. The following decade found him with Jack Teagarden and the Dukes Of Dixieland; he eventually established himself in Chicago, performing nightly in local clubs and frequently supporting touring jazz artists. A 1976 road trip with Benny Goodman preceded 1980s associations with Wild Bill Davison and membership in Keith Smith’s ensemble devoted to Louis Armstrong’s repertoire.
His singular character was further accentuated by a flamboyant beard and an animated conversational style offstage. Deems liked to call himself the oldest teenager in the business, and his irreverent, often unbroadcastable humor repeatedly undermined recorded interviews. Notwithstanding the theatricality of his look and billing, he delivered a forceful, driving attack; his tenure with Armstrong yielded the W.C. Handy album that stands among the trumpeter’s most enduring later recordings.
In 1954 Deems entered Louis Armstrong’s All Stars, accompanying the group on international tours and appearing both in the motion picture High Society and in the Ed Morrow television documentary Satchmo The Great, each released in 1956. The following decade found him with Jack Teagarden and the Dukes Of Dixieland; he eventually established himself in Chicago, performing nightly in local clubs and frequently supporting touring jazz artists. A 1976 road trip with Benny Goodman preceded 1980s associations with Wild Bill Davison and membership in Keith Smith’s ensemble devoted to Louis Armstrong’s repertoire.
His singular character was further accentuated by a flamboyant beard and an animated conversational style offstage. Deems liked to call himself the oldest teenager in the business, and his irreverent, often unbroadcastable humor repeatedly undermined recorded interviews. Notwithstanding the theatricality of his look and billing, he delivered a forceful, driving attack; his tenure with Armstrong yielded the W.C. Handy album that stands among the trumpeter’s most enduring later recordings.
Albums