Jazz Guitarist. In a musical career spanning more than 80 years he is probably best remembered for having played with the Ink Spots when the group still had original members. Raised in South Texas, Mr. Long learned to play the ukulele at an early age and got his professional start in 1925; he was a shoe-shiner and occasional stage announcer at the Rice Hotel when Frank Davis' Louisiana Jazz Band needed a banjo player...he bought one on credit and joined the group. After gaining experience he took-up the guitar, then moved to Chicago in 1933. There, he performed at the World's Fair and in local clubs. Soon in demand as a studio musician, he joined jazz pioneers Lil Armstrong and Richard M. Jones in recording sessions for Decca in 1935 and 1936 and can be heard on the record of Armstrong's signature piece "Just for a Thrill". Mr. Long joined Fletcher Henderson's group and in 1943 relocated with him to New York where he played with the leading musicians of the day including Earl "Fatha" Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughn. In 1945, he was approached by Bill Kenny who was in need of a guitar player for the Ink Spots; Mr. Long stayed with the ensemble for 10 months, playing and singing back-up with them at the Paradise Theater in Detroit and participating in a number of their best-known records, lending his talent to such pieces as "The Sweetest Dream", "If I Didn't Care", and "Just for Me". As jazz evolved into swing, then into bebop, Mr. Long kept pace. His trio was to join USO tours of Korea and Japan and, during the 1960s, he had his own version of the Ink Spots. After studying education at Los Angeles Community College, he ran a music school in New York. Mr. Long returned to Houston, where at the time of his death his daughter ran an Ink Spots museum, in 1996. At his demise from the effects of far advanced age, he was working on a musical dictionary. He once said: "Music is defined as sound vibrations that are picked up by the ear. The music of today has sound and vibrations-heavy on the rhythm".
Jazz Guitarist. In a musical career spanning more than 80 years he is probably best remembered for having played with the Ink Spots when the group still had original members. Raised in South Texas, Mr. Long learned to play the ukulele at an early age and got his professional start in 1925; he was a shoe-shiner and occasional stage announcer at the Rice Hotel when Frank Davis' Louisiana Jazz Band needed a banjo player...he bought one on credit and joined the group. After gaining experience he took-up the guitar, then moved to Chicago in 1933. There, he performed at the World's Fair and in local clubs. Soon in demand as a studio musician, he joined jazz pioneers Lil Armstrong and Richard M. Jones in recording sessions for Decca in 1935 and 1936 and can be heard on the record of Armstrong's signature piece "Just for a Thrill". Mr. Long joined Fletcher Henderson's group and in 1943 relocated with him to New York where he played with the leading musicians of the day including Earl "Fatha" Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughn. In 1945, he was approached by Bill Kenny who was in need of a guitar player for the Ink Spots; Mr. Long stayed with the ensemble for 10 months, playing and singing back-up with them at the Paradise Theater in Detroit and participating in a number of their best-known records, lending his talent to such pieces as "The Sweetest Dream", "If I Didn't Care", and "Just for Me". As jazz evolved into swing, then into bebop, Mr. Long kept pace. His trio was to join USO tours of Korea and Japan and, during the 1960s, he had his own version of the Ink Spots. After studying education at Los Angeles Community College, he ran a music school in New York. Mr. Long returned to Houston, where at the time of his death his daughter ran an Ink Spots museum, in 1996. At his demise from the effects of far advanced age, he was working on a musical dictionary. He once said: "Music is defined as sound vibrations that are picked up by the ear. The music of today has sound and vibrations-heavy on the rhythm".
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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