"Herb Jeffries was the last surviving
member of the 1940 Duke Ellington
Orchestra and a fine interpreter of
swing songs and ballads. He
performed with Erskine Tate in the
early '30s, Earl Hines (1931-1934),
and Blanche Calloway, before
becoming the first black cowboy
actor in a series of '30s Westerns. He
gained his greatest fame while with
Ellington (1940-1942), having a big
hit in "Flamingo." Jeffries, who
recorded with Sidney Bechet in
1940, worked as a single after
leaving Ellington in 1942, recording
on an occasional basis and
remaining active into the mid-'90s."
BN.
member of the 1940 Duke Ellington
Orchestra and a fine interpreter of
swing songs and ballads. He
performed with Erskine Tate in the
early '30s, Earl Hines (1931-1934),
and Blanche Calloway, before
becoming the first black cowboy
actor in a series of '30s Westerns. He
gained his greatest fame while with
Ellington (1940-1942), having a big
hit in "Flamingo." Jeffries, who
recorded with Sidney Bechet in
1940, worked as a single after
leaving Ellington in 1942, recording
on an occasional basis and
remaining active into the mid-'90s."
BN.
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