Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Red Richards was born Charles Coleridge Richards on October 19, 1912 in New York City and began playing classical piano at age ten. After hearing Fats Waller at age 26 he concentrated on jazz. His first major professional gig was with Tab Smith at the Savoy Ballroom in New York from 1945 to 1949. He went on to play and record with Pee Wee Russell, Bob Wilber, Sidney Bechet, Buck Clayton, Big Chief Moore, Muggsy Spanier, Fletcher Henderson through the Fifties.

Richards toured Italy and France with Mezz Mezzrow, accompanied Frank Sinatra while in Italy, became a solo performer for a year in Columbus, Ohio, and played with Wild Bill Davison in the late 50s and again in 1962.

In 1960 Red formed Saints & Sinners with Vic Dickerson, playing with this ensemble until 1970. He joined jazz drummer Chuck Slate’s band in 1971, recorded an album with him called “Bix ‘N All That Jazz”.  Through the mid-Seventies he worked with Eddie Condon, put together his own trio for two years, played with Panama Francis’s Savoy Sultans touring with them from1979 through the Eighties.

Pianist Red Richards recorded nine albums as a leader, recorded with Bill Coleman in 1980 and continued to tour nearly till the time of his death on March 12, 1998 in Scarsdale, New York.

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