Matty Matlock

A fine clarinetist, Matty Matlock also gained a lot of work in the 1950s as an arranger for Dixieland-flavored sessions. He started playing clarinet when he was 12 and performed in a variety of little-known bands, including one led by Jimmy Joy. He was with Ben Pollack's group during 1929-1934 and when the orchestra became Bob Crosby's, Matlock stayed on. He became busy as an arranger, but continued playing with Crosby off and on until 1942. At that point, he moved to Los Angeles and worked in the studios. Matlock worked with Red Nichols and Pollack again and participated in the music for the film and the television series Pete Kelly's Blues. Matty Matlock led the Rampart Street Paraders in the 1950s, had many reunions with Bob Crosby and continued playing into the mid-'70s. Unfortunately, his recordings as a leader for the X, Columbia, Tops, and Warner Bros. labels during 1954-1960 are all long out of print.