Music
J. C. Heard
1917–1988 · jazz drummer, bandleader
Detroit-raised swing and bop drummer who played with Teddy Wilson, Cab Calloway and Jazz at the Philharmonic, then returned to Detroit in 1966 as a bandleader and mentor.
- Born
Dayton, Ohio- Died
Royal Oak, Michigan
aged 71- Birth name
- James Charles Heard
- Detroit years
- 1920s–1939, 1966–1988
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Born in Dayton, Heard grew up in Detroit, where as a small boy he tap-danced in amateur contests and vaudeville shows. Around eleven he switched to drums, teaching himself before taking lessons at Cass Technical High School, and his parents took him to hear the touring bands that came through the city; seeing Chick Webb in 1937 left a lasting mark. A protégé of Jo Jones, he got his first big job with Teddy Wilson's band in 1939 and went on to Benny Carter, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie, spending 1942–1945 with Cab Calloway and appearing in the film Stormy Weather. He toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, stayed in Japan for several years from 1953 to perform and teach, and recorded with Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Sarah Vaughan. In 1966 he moved back to Detroit, where he led bands and mentored younger players, and from 1981 led a 13-piece big band. He died in Royal Oak in 1988.
Highlights
- Studied drums at Cass Technical High School
- Drummer with Teddy Wilson, Cab Calloway and Jazz at the Philharmonic
- Appeared with Calloway in the film Stormy Weather (1943)
- Led a 13-piece Detroit big band from 1981
- Honored by the annual J. C. Heard JazzWeek at Wayne State University
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1920s–1930s
Cass Technical High School
Detroit's magnet high school, where Heard took his first formal drum lessons.
Memorial · annual
Wayne State University
Wayne State hosts the yearly J.C. Heard JazzWeek@Wayne as part of the Detroit Jazz Festival.