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Sonny Greer
William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, c. 1895 – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington.
Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. There has been long-standing confusion about his birth year since he tried to maintain a youthful image in the public eye, but his birth year ranges from 1895 to 1904. Greer lived in Asbury Park, New Jersey, as a child with his father, an electrician with the Pennsylvania Road, and mother, a modiste, and his younger brother and sister. As a child, he worked many side jobs as a caddy, fish peddler, and newspaper deliverer.
Greer started getting into music and taught himself how to sing and drum with the help of only one mentor, drummer Eugene “Peggy” Holland, who played with composer, J. Rosamond Johnson for two weeks. The vaudeville drummer gave him a few lessons but also advice not just with music, but also with life as a man and how one should carry himself.
Greer started his career in his mid-teens when he began playing at resort hotels along the Jersey Shore with local orchestras. After a performance in the Plaza Hotel, he received an invitation to appear in Washington, D.C. with the Howard Theatre where he played for three years until he met Duke Ellington. Greer was balancing his commitments with Ellington and the Howard Theatre until the mid-1920s when he worked exclusively with Ellington.
Greer was Ellington's first drummer, playing with his quintet, the Washingtonians, and moved with Ellington into the Cotton Club. As a result of his job as a designer with the Leedy Drum Company of Indiana, Greer was able to build up a huge drum kit worth over a then-considerable $3,000, including chimes, a gong, timpani, and vibes.
Greer was constantly on tour with the Ellington Orchestra and was there for its rise to fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Greer took the spotlight during the performances as the organization of his drum set drew the audience’s eyes. Music critic for the New York Times, John S. Wilson, wrote that Greer was “enthroned on a stand on which he was surrounded by a glittering array of paraphernalia." Wilson continues to write that this included instruments such as chimes, tom-toms, snare drums, bass drums, and a gong that was "set up in back of him as though to form a massive halo".
Greer was a substantial contributor to the Ellington Orchestra. Trombonist, Lawrence Brown, stated that when he joined the band in 1932, it became clear to him how important of a contributor Greer was. Brown states, "He was almost as popular as Ellington. Not only did he have excellent musical instincts and natural ability as a player, he was very genial and served as contact man for Duke". Brown continues to say that Greer got to be knowledgeable about music by simply "performing and absorbing what was happening around him". Mercer Ellington, the son of Duke, stated that Greer "was one of the few people from whom Ellington readily took advice" from and that he had a "great ear and unusual reflexes".
Even with the orchestra's and Greer's achievements, Greer had his hardships with Ellington due to his heavy drinking, but he was able to let his habits leave his talent and skill unaffected for years. He did have occasions where his performance was affected by his drinking, but Ellington was able to keep him on track until the late 1940s and early 1950s when his performance significantly worsened. In 1950, Ellington responded to his drinking and occasional unreliability by taking a second drummer, Butch Ballard, with them on a tour of Scandinavia. This decision and his behavior eventually progressed to his dismissal from the Ellington Orchestra in 1951.
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Sonny Greer
William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, c. 1895 – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington.
Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. There has been long-standing confusion about his birth year since he tried to maintain a youthful image in the public eye, but his birth year ranges from 1895 to 1904. Greer lived in Asbury Park, New Jersey, as a child with his father, an electrician with the Pennsylvania Road, and mother, a modiste, and his younger brother and sister. As a child, he worked many side jobs as a caddy, fish peddler, and newspaper deliverer.
Greer started getting into music and taught himself how to sing and drum with the help of only one mentor, drummer Eugene “Peggy” Holland, who played with composer, J. Rosamond Johnson for two weeks. The vaudeville drummer gave him a few lessons but also advice not just with music, but also with life as a man and how one should carry himself.
Greer started his career in his mid-teens when he began playing at resort hotels along the Jersey Shore with local orchestras. After a performance in the Plaza Hotel, he received an invitation to appear in Washington, D.C. with the Howard Theatre where he played for three years until he met Duke Ellington. Greer was balancing his commitments with Ellington and the Howard Theatre until the mid-1920s when he worked exclusively with Ellington.
Greer was Ellington's first drummer, playing with his quintet, the Washingtonians, and moved with Ellington into the Cotton Club. As a result of his job as a designer with the Leedy Drum Company of Indiana, Greer was able to build up a huge drum kit worth over a then-considerable $3,000, including chimes, a gong, timpani, and vibes.
Greer was constantly on tour with the Ellington Orchestra and was there for its rise to fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Greer took the spotlight during the performances as the organization of his drum set drew the audience’s eyes. Music critic for the New York Times, John S. Wilson, wrote that Greer was “enthroned on a stand on which he was surrounded by a glittering array of paraphernalia." Wilson continues to write that this included instruments such as chimes, tom-toms, snare drums, bass drums, and a gong that was "set up in back of him as though to form a massive halo".
Greer was a substantial contributor to the Ellington Orchestra. Trombonist, Lawrence Brown, stated that when he joined the band in 1932, it became clear to him how important of a contributor Greer was. Brown states, "He was almost as popular as Ellington. Not only did he have excellent musical instincts and natural ability as a player, he was very genial and served as contact man for Duke". Brown continues to say that Greer got to be knowledgeable about music by simply "performing and absorbing what was happening around him". Mercer Ellington, the son of Duke, stated that Greer "was one of the few people from whom Ellington readily took advice" from and that he had a "great ear and unusual reflexes".
Even with the orchestra's and Greer's achievements, Greer had his hardships with Ellington due to his heavy drinking, but he was able to let his habits leave his talent and skill unaffected for years. He did have occasions where his performance was affected by his drinking, but Ellington was able to keep him on track until the late 1940s and early 1950s when his performance significantly worsened. In 1950, Ellington responded to his drinking and occasional unreliability by taking a second drummer, Butch Ballard, with them on a tour of Scandinavia. This decision and his behavior eventually progressed to his dismissal from the Ellington Orchestra in 1951.
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