Don Kirkpatrick
b. 17 June 1905, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, d. 13 May 1956. After playing piano with bands in and around Baltimore, Kirkpatrick journeyed to New York in 1926 and the following year began a long association with Chick Webb. He played piano in Webb's band and also wrote arrangements during its early years. In the early '30s he worked with Don Redman and also played piano in bands led by Henry Red Allen and Coleman Hawkins. During these and succeeding years Kirkpatrick was very active as a freelance arranger, writing charts for Webb, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Alvino Rey and Cootie Williams. In the mid-40s he was once again to be found playing piano, generally working in amongst traditional musicians, including Mezz Mezzrow and Bunk Johnson, although stylistically he was more attuned to swing. In the '50s, he played with Sidney Bechet and Wilbur De Paris, and also worked as a solo artist up to his death in 1956.