By Lars Bjorn, Jim Gallert, and Adam Stanfel. First published in the 2019 Detroit Jazz Festival program booklet.
Johnny Trudell started his career as a bandleader when most teens are struggling with Acne and homework. From that point Trudell rose to become Detroit’s premier session man. He played with his mentor and friend, Maurice King, at the fabled Flame Show Bar. He recorded with the Four Freshmen, played on Marvin Gaye’s seminal “What’s Goin’ On” record, and led the house band at the Roostertail nightclub for many years. Here is a career summary.
“I had thirty-two pieces last Saturday night down at The Fox, and I had the best players in this area too,” proudly proclaims the eighty year old Detroit Trumpet playing dynamo Johnny Trudell. Mr. Trudell, who still insists on being called Johnny, has dedicated his life to his love of music and to a versatile excellence in his craft. He is gentleman who has persisted and thrived for a lifetime in a business of short-sighted sharks. His presence is at the same authoritative in the way a dyed-in-the-wool veteran can be, but warm and welcoming, almost like your favorite uncle. Trudell is simultaneously an experienced, if slightly reluctant businessman, and a late-night jazzbo who retains equal elements of the hip argot of the late 50’s musician and late 60’s funk brother. His extraordinary sixty plus year commitment to the music industry has earned him a stunningly long list of top-tier album credits and musical experiences that follow the highest arc of professionalism in the business.
Thankfully, The Cass Tech class of ’58 alum is still sharp, witty and musically active, and willing to share his rich history. He’s performed for multiple sitting American presidents, appeared at a Super Bowl, played The Montreux Jazz Festival, ran stage shows in Las Vegas at Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingo Hotel, been in the pit for a host of Broadway shows, and jammed with avant-garde Be-Bop legends at private jam sessions. “I don’t want to stop playing…But… I am getting ready to retire pretty quick. I still have the love for the the instrument. Still have that, as a kid does.”
“My first gig was at the Carlton Plaza Hotel when I was 13. My dad drove us there in his ’47 Hudson, I (as the band leader) made 7 bucks and the rest of the band made $5. I think Kenny Cox was in that band, yeah, we were kids, man.” Cox, the brilliant jazz pianist (and, former trumpeter) and future Blue Note recording artist, is just one example of the many early impressive musical partnerships that would help shape the path of Mr. Trudell’s own versatile approach to musicianship and trumpet playing.
Trudell was born in a home at 1421 Holcomb Street in Detroit, Michigan on May, eleventh 1939. Raised in a musical family, he credits his maternal uncles for giving him his first musical instruction as well as providing him a leg up on what was hip and cutting edge in the musical world of the late 1930’s. “My uncle Mike Bentz and his brothers had a band in Michigan’s thumb during the depression. It was a territory dance band; It was good, too. They made a couple of recordings.” The band was named Mike Bentz and His Orchestra, and it featured multiple trumpet players, one of whom was Johnny’s Uncle, Pete Bentz. Pete was Johnny’s first musical inspiration and mentor, turning him onto records by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver and later Dizzy Gillespie and the trumpeter Howard Mcghee. “So I got a step up before most of the kids. I think I was about five when I started listening to those records.”
Growing up in a metropolitan city like Detroit gave the inclined youngster with a supportive family the ability to see top notch bands at a number of well-respected musical venues around his hometown. “I saw every big band there ever was. Over at the Capitol I saw Duke Ellington. I saw Count Basie’s band. I saw Louis Jordan.” Johnny remembers seeing Dizzy Gillespie at the legendary Paradise Theater on Woodward Avenue, but equally inspirational was an appearance by the Tommy Dorsey Band at The Michigan Theater. “That’s the band I said to my Aunt, I said, ‘someday, I’m going to work with that band!” In fact, many years later in the late 50’s-early 60’s, Johnny did tour with The Tommy Dorsey band, only coming came off the road to begin what would be a long association with Motown Records.
America has several well-springs of musical creativity and pools of talent that loom large in the history of the American musical culture. New Orleans, Memphis, New York, Chicago and Detroit all claim powerful traditions and that have helped shape the broader American culture at large. In Detroit, the booming automotive industry inspired a world-wide migration to the city that offered at least the possibility of a modicum of prosperity and social mobility that was unavailable in many places in the world. One important musical effect of the migration was the musical cross-pollination that took place due simply in-part to the crowded and restricted housing conditions that existed within the city borders. Equally important to the cities musical legacy is the well-lauded music education programs that were in part made possible through the prosperity of the industrial city. The public schools offered exceptional musical instruction within the public school system, and many talented and successful musicians have credited much of their success to the guidance of their high school instructors.
“At that time, Dr. Harry Begian was in charge of the music program (at Cass). Dr. Begian, number one with a star. Influential. I still use his techniques for rehearsal, and it seems to work for me.”
When referring to rehearsal, Trudell is speaking of directing his large, 30 piece orchestras at Detroit’s Fox Theater. It’s incredible to think that even today in 2019 Dr. Begian’s techniques are still be used to prepare some of the finest bands in the city in some it’s most prestigious venues. Moreover, it’s important to note that Dr. Begian, a man of Armenian descent, was the band-director, over Detroit’s Cass Tech music programs during the 1950’s when the program turned out a stunning number of musicians who would go on to shape musical movements, specifically jazz and be-bop the world over for decades to come.
“I graduated in the summer of ’58; because, I was stupid. I was making too much money on the streets. There was a band called Larry Howard, we used to play at Ann Arbor A LOT. And I (also) played with another band at Blossom Heat on Lake St. Clair. I want to say Harold Mckinney,” recalls Trudell of some of his earliest gigs that kept him out late on school nights.
Another early and important association were several gigs at the Rouge Lounge with the nationally touring vocal group The Four Freshmen. Owned by Detroit Jazz luminary Ed Sarkesian, The Rouge Lounge was the club that featured national jazz talent the likes of Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Gene Krupa, Chet Baker and Dizzy Gillespie. The Four Freshmen landed at the night-spot in River Rouge and were backed by The Johnny Trudell Orchestra. The pairing of The Freshmen (who won Down Beat Magazines 1953 poll as Best Jazz Vocal Group) and The Trudell Orchestra was a symbiotic success for both The Freshmen, who were fledgeling stars still on their way up, as well as serving as a prominent and encouraging gig for the still young band leader Trudell. Though the last original member of The Four Freshman retired in 1993, a stellar line-up representing the legacy, and artistic interpretations of jazz harmonies of The Four Freshmen are appearing at the Detroit Jazz festival in 2019.
The most important musical association and friendship of Mr. Trudell’s career, one that would exert a tremendous impact on the upward trajectory of his career occurred while he was directing the house band on Detroit’s Boblo boat. Boblo was a much loved island resort and amusement park on an island in the mouth of the Detroit River that operated from 1898 until 1993. A long standing tradition and highlight of the entire experience for Detroiter’s was the ferry ride on the Boblo boats from the mainland to the island. The ride often offered entertainment and often featured jazz bands. Trudell remembers his Boblo boat gig,
“That was a big deal for me when I got that. I think it was ’58 or ’59 when I got out of school. I did about two and a half almost three years on the boat. Anyway, I met Maurice King on one of those trips, and he took a liking to me. He’s the one that really got me into Motown, he reinforced them hiring me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I would have had enough juice to get that gig.”
Before landing the gig at Motown via the Maurice King recommendation, Johnny was asked to join the enormously important Maurice King and his Wolverines, the house band at the legendary Flame Show Bar at the corner of John R and Canfield in Detroit. Today, the club has long since been demolished in favor of a parking structure for the nearby medical plaza, but in the 1950’s the Flame Show Bar was the nightspot for top of the line musical entertainment and artistry. In his autobiography, “To Be Loved” Berry Gordy states,
“All The beautiful people came to life at night – the sharpest-dressed black and white people I had ever seen – jewelry flashing, beautiful furs. John R street was jumping…Where you’d usually find me was was down the street at John R. and Canfield at the most popular of all, The Flame Show Bar.”
Gordy’s autobiography also includes a photo of him posing with friends gathered around Billie Holiday at the bar of The Flame. Holiday’s appearance there is indicative of the type of national talent that would appear on a regular basis, and Maurice King was the band leader for most of the club’s existence. After the fortuitous meeting on the Boblo boat, Johnny joined the house band during the final two weeks of the Maurice King’s tenure as band leader at the fabled club. Trudell remembers, “when I was with Maurice, it was Beans Bowles, Dagwood on drums, Ghandi (Neal Robinson) the piano player, Clarence Sherrill was the bass player, Louis Barnett on tenor, and myself.” Even a two week stint in the Flame’s fabled house band puts Trudell in an elite alumni class whose numbers are growing smaller with each passing year.
“Maurice King was my mentor,” recalls Johnny. “Maurice could play about anything on the alto saxophone, and he wrote much harder than a lot of guys could play.” Maurice King graduated from Tennessee A&I State College (now, Tennessee State University) in the early 1930’s. Before the end of the decade, King moved to Detroit to reunite with family and immediately began assembling bands, acting as a leader and arranger. King established himself as a connected and respected as a musical force within the city. Morris Wasserman stands a legend amongst Detroit night-club owners, and in 1949 when he was planning on opening his highly anticipated Flame Show Bar. Wasserman approached King and challenged him to form a premier band that was capable of handling any musical style from jazz to pop. King rose to the challenge and in the process formed a band which would yield important musicians that Berry Gordy would use at Motown Records (including King!).
King’s band backed every major star that stopped through Detroit, and helped make stars out of local acts including singers Lavern Baker and Johnny Ray. Maurice King and his Wolverines also released records of their own, including the film noir-esque ,minor-key rhumba-rhythmed “Bermuda” on the Okeh label in 1952. King remained firmly in control at the Flame until 1960.
A Culture Shift was occurring, and the younger generation had little interest in a Show Bar, or most of the stars at such a venue. Wasserman was forced to cut costs, including King’s expensive & beautiful seven piece combo. He imported an organ trio, featuring drummer Mike Lawton, saxophonist George Benson, and future Motown band leader, Earl Van Dyke on organ. By 1964, Motown was afloat, and the Beatles headed up a legion of English pop stars who formed a beachhead in Manhattan. Both cadres had hit records in that fateful year. Teens wanted to dance, and Motown crossed race lines to score amazing hit recordings which appealed to teens of any persuasion. The Beatles were totally “into” Motown stars, and musical influences cut both ways. By 1964, the Flame Show Bar was gone as a business, soon to be replaced by an ever popular Detroit landmark – the Parking Structure. The irony, is Berry Gordy learned many things at the Flame – his sisters managed the photo concession at the Flame. Berry worked in the basement, developing pictures, but his main prospect was developing relations with the musicians, and vocalists. Many of those performers would find slots at Motown Records.
It was an elite cadre of musicians that welcomed the by now seasoned Trudell. “My first session (at Motown), probably was around ’62 or 63, and I stayed until ’72. And that’s the years when we made all the hit records, but I always had a night gig. I always had the Roostertail. I have a live recording of Tony Bennett from there in 1974 with a full orchestra.” The Roostertail is a longstanding, upscale restaurant on the Detroit River that has a storied musical legacy of it’s own. Trudell’s involvement with the establishment was in part responsible for the now legendary Motown Monday’s which featured different Motown acts, several of which were recorded and became official live releases by top acts like The Temptations. Their Temptations Live!, released in 1967, features the classic Temps line up including David Ruffin on lead vocals. Johnny Trudell’s Horn Section receives full album credits for the recording. The album was very successful, spending 51 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at the number ten slot. Trudell appeared on many Motown records, but his noteworthy performance is his playing on and involvement with Marvin Gaye’s 1971 masterpiece, “What’s Going On.” Of his time at Motown Johnny says,
“They treated me like a king, man. I made enough money to build a brand new house. Nobody can say anything bad about Berry Gordy to me. He was a mastermind. He was a business guy. Plus, he knew music. He had a great ear, man. He used to come see me when I played these bebop gigs.”
When asked to describe himself as a musician, Johnny quickly and simply states, “Studio musician. Studio musicians can play almost anything. The better your techniques are the better off you are. I could play dixieland. I could play jazz. I could play bebop. I could play classical music, to a degree. Rock and roll. The soul thing…I had that down, man. You know…most white guys play….I know…. I used to make ribs in a washtub, come on!” And true to his versatility and form, Trudell also fondly recalls, “shit, I remember playing at (James) Jamerson’s house with Lonnie Hillyer and Charles McPherson.” It’s the matter-of-fact, non-braggadocious manner in which Mr. Trudell recalls his life experiences that make them so believable and enviable. Considering that Hillyer and Mcpherson both recorded and toured with with Charles Mingus, that James Jamerson set the standard for soul Electric Bass mastery, and considering Trudell’s virtuosic and versatile approach to his horn makes the long passed jam session the thing of lore and major fodder for fly-on-the-wall fantasies. Moreover, though he slightly begrudges rock bands like The Beatles who call themselves “bands” but are really just “rhythm sections.” he says “They’ve done a marvelous job. You never knock success. Never.” But, when asked about his true passion and his favorite music it’s a definitive, “big band music. Love it. Love it. There’s also an album called ‘But Beautiful.’ It’s just a trio That’s what I enjoy, playing like that.”
When Motown moved to Los Angeles in 1972, Trudell stayed behind, attracted as much to family life as he was confident in his ability to continue to find work within other avenues of the business. “We (referring to his Orchestra) took off in the ’60’s. The ’70’s were great. The ’80’s were better.” The mid 70’s saw Johnny recording and gigging with an increasingly diverse array of musicians. A jazz highlight had him recording with The New Mckinney’s Cotton Pickers in 1974. The “New” group was a popular revival act that honored the legacy of the great 1920’s African-American jazz orchestra which originated in Detroit and released important sides on the Victor label out of New York. The revamped 1974 version featured veteran jazz journeyman Ted Buckner on alto sax and original Mckinney Cotton Picker (and an alum of the Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five), vocalist and banjo player Dave Wilborn.
The peak of his musical risk taking was a record he released under his own name, “Dream Dance.” “That was a big album. That was a company that we tried to make happen. It didn’t happen,” chuckles Johnny. Dream Dance isn’t necessarily a masterpiece of any one genre, but is commendable for its musical risk taking and eclecticism. With its tight snares, four-on-the-floor kick, and rollicking bass lines, it’s a late 70’s, dance-floor friendly instrumental album that combines pretty melodies with elements of jazz, soul, disco and, if it’s officially a genre, “yacht rock.” The intrepid trumpeter pushed ahead through the 80’s, even claiming they were the golden years of the Johnny Trudell Orchestra.
“In 1984 I had 68 musicians at the Las Vegas Convention Center and another 18 musicians at the MGM for the after party. It went on for I don’t know how many days.” In 1987 Trudell took over as band director for, “Mr. and Mrs. Illitch,” as he calls them, at Detroit’s Fox Theater, a job he holds till this day. While there he has been in the pit for countless Broadway shows, backed everyone from Tony Bennett to Sammy Davis Jr. to any number of shows, programs or political conventions. “I’ve killed myself. I’m hurting now, ’cause I worked real hard, man. Coming home at two or three in the morning, sleeping for a couple of hours and then repeat, repeat repeat.”
At his advanced age, Mr. Trudell does show signs of a full-life well-lived. From an early age he was fortunate to have a nurturing and supportive family and an environment that allowed him to work with other gifted and dedicated people. From his humble origins as a thirteen year-old-bandleader to a street-running high schooler who just eked out a summer school graduation in a demanding music program. From his Boblo boat days to his Fox Theater position, Johnny is a dyed-in-the-wool Detroiter who has transcended a provincial geographical type-cast. Through sheer will guided by an intense musical passion, he’s led a brilliant career full of exciting musical moments that continue to be cherished by music fans from around the world. He is a big talent who lived in and contributed to an extraordinary time. It’s a wonderful thing to hear him say, “I still have the love of the instrument.”
There are many Trudell videos on You Tube.
