Biography
During Sidney Bechet’s earliest efforts to gain command of the clarinet, the young musician joined informal house-party ensembles made up of other New Orleans players; one of those pianists was Clarence Todd. The sole additional detail preserved from that time places Todd on St. Phillips Street in the Crescent City. Following the path taken by his acquaintance Clarence Williams, Todd eventually relocated to New York and took part in numerous recording dates throughout the 1920s and the first years of the following decade. The initial session yielded two kazoo duets—“You Don’t Know My Mind Blues” and “West Indies Blues”—cut for OKeh on 10 May 1924 with Williams, piano support from the still-young Fats Waller, and percussion supplied by the otherwise obscure Justin Ring. Later the same December, Todd joined Alberta Hunter for a lively duet reading of “Cake Walking Babies from Home,” accompanied by Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, and the Red Onion Jazz Babies.
In May 1925 Buster Bailey, billed as William Bailey, entered a studio for the first time under his own name; the resulting pair of clarinet solos, “Squeeze Me” and “Papa De Da Da,” featured banjo and piano accompaniment from Buddy Christian and Clarence Todd. Throughout 1926 Todd frequently performed under the name Shufflin’ Sam, supplying vocals on more than a dozen sides by the Dixie Washboard Band, also known as the Louisiana Washboard Band and Clarence Williams’ Washboard Beaters. Another Williams-led group recorded four additional titles that June with Todd on vocals; cornetist Ed Allen and washboard player Jasper Taylor were also present, and the unit chose the name Blue Grass Foot Warmers. On 23 August 1926 Todd sang with the OKeh Melody Stars, an ensemble that included cornetist Charlie Thomas and trombonist Charlie Irvis. Although “Look Out, Mr. Jazz” carries an appealing title, collectors have long sought copies of its flip side, “A Glass of Beer, a Hot Dog and You.” In April 1927 the Shakey Todd and Holland Trio committed two sentimental selections to disc; Holland’s identity remains unknown, and Todd is the only participant whose name has been confirmed.
Beyond the familiar pleasures of Fats Waller and His Rhythm performing Todd’s best-known composition, “Ooh! Looka There Ain’t She Pretty?,” the songwriter’s melodic gifts are further illustrated by Waller’s pipe-organ accompaniment for Alberta Hunter on the 20 May 1927 recording of Todd’s “I’m Goin’ to See My Ma.” Todd also worked with James P. Johnson and Waller on material for the 1928 stage production Keep Shufflin’, whose lyrics were supplied by Henry Creamer and Andy Razaf. The last documented trace of Todd’s career returns to jugs and washboards: on 3 October 1934 the Alabama Jug Band, with Willie “The Lion” Smith at the piano, recorded a lively version of “Jazz It Blues” (also known as “Jazz Me Blues”) that featured a homespun scat chorus by the Ham and Cabbage Trio—Clarence Todd, Clarence Williams, and Banjo Ikey Robinson. This session marks the final known appearance on record of a largely overlooked composer and performer whose contributions to early jazz, from New Orleans to New York, merit wider acknowledgment.
In May 1925 Buster Bailey, billed as William Bailey, entered a studio for the first time under his own name; the resulting pair of clarinet solos, “Squeeze Me” and “Papa De Da Da,” featured banjo and piano accompaniment from Buddy Christian and Clarence Todd. Throughout 1926 Todd frequently performed under the name Shufflin’ Sam, supplying vocals on more than a dozen sides by the Dixie Washboard Band, also known as the Louisiana Washboard Band and Clarence Williams’ Washboard Beaters. Another Williams-led group recorded four additional titles that June with Todd on vocals; cornetist Ed Allen and washboard player Jasper Taylor were also present, and the unit chose the name Blue Grass Foot Warmers. On 23 August 1926 Todd sang with the OKeh Melody Stars, an ensemble that included cornetist Charlie Thomas and trombonist Charlie Irvis. Although “Look Out, Mr. Jazz” carries an appealing title, collectors have long sought copies of its flip side, “A Glass of Beer, a Hot Dog and You.” In April 1927 the Shakey Todd and Holland Trio committed two sentimental selections to disc; Holland’s identity remains unknown, and Todd is the only participant whose name has been confirmed.
Beyond the familiar pleasures of Fats Waller and His Rhythm performing Todd’s best-known composition, “Ooh! Looka There Ain’t She Pretty?,” the songwriter’s melodic gifts are further illustrated by Waller’s pipe-organ accompaniment for Alberta Hunter on the 20 May 1927 recording of Todd’s “I’m Goin’ to See My Ma.” Todd also worked with James P. Johnson and Waller on material for the 1928 stage production Keep Shufflin’, whose lyrics were supplied by Henry Creamer and Andy Razaf. The last documented trace of Todd’s career returns to jugs and washboards: on 3 October 1934 the Alabama Jug Band, with Willie “The Lion” Smith at the piano, recorded a lively version of “Jazz It Blues” (also known as “Jazz Me Blues”) that featured a homespun scat chorus by the Ham and Cabbage Trio—Clarence Todd, Clarence Williams, and Banjo Ikey Robinson. This session marks the final known appearance on record of a largely overlooked composer and performer whose contributions to early jazz, from New Orleans to New York, merit wider acknowledgment.
Albums