Boyd Senter

Clarinet player and bandleader Boyd Senter's orchestra provided the first musical outlet for young trombone player named Glenn Miller, in 1921, when Senter was only in his early 20s and still in Colorado. Senter went on to be billed as the "Jazzologist Supreme" and eventually mastered the saxophones, trumpet, and other horns, but it was his playful clarinet playing that made him famous, though his style turned off some critics. He said his first records, made with Autograph, were among the first electric recordings. In 1927, Senter moved to Okeh and recorded with guitarist Eddie Lang and pianist Jack Russell. The following year, Senter helped launch the careers of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, bringing them into the studio with Lang and Russell. After a couple years, Senter & His Senterpedes moved to Victor, for which he recorded five times. Never one to take himself too seriously, Senter made one recording, "Mobile Blues," that was never released in the U.S. because he, the other musicians, and the engineer got too drunk while they made it. Senter died in Oscoda, MI, in 1982.