Ray Bauduc was born June 18, 1906, in New Orleans. He came from a musical family: his father Jules Bauduc was a cornetist, his older brother, Jules Jr., was a banjoist and bandleader, and his sister played piano.
Early on, Bauduc played drums with bandleader Johnny Bayersdorffer. In 1926, he moved to New York City, where he performed and recorded with Joe Venuti and the Original Memphis Five, among others.
Beginning in 1935, Ray Bauduc was drummer with with the Bob Crosby Orchestra (and the Dixieland-oriented Bobcats). His time with Crosby brought him national fame. Bauduc and bassist Bob Haggart composed two hits for the orchestra: “South Rampart Street Parade” and “Big Noise from Winnetka.” In the latter, Bauduc drummed on the strings of Haggart’s bass.
Bauduc’s use of woodblocks, cowbells, China cymbals, and tom-toms distinguished him from most drummers of the swing era; he was one of the few white drummers of the time to be influenced by Warren “Baby” Dodds.
Bauduc was a trend setter in traditional jazz circles. His precise, disciplined, yet fiery patterns and syncopated fills, helped New Orleans drummers make the transition into swing from the rigid, clipped progressions that had defined the previous era.
Bauduc served in the U.S. Army Artillery Band until November 1944. After his discharge, he and former Crosby group leader Gil Rodin formed a short-lived big band. In early 1947, he joined Bob Crosby’s new group, leaving in 1948 to play with Jimmy Dorsey, where he stayed for the next two years. He freelanced on the West Coast for a couple of years before joining Jack Teagarden in 1952. In 1955, he formed a band with Nappy Lamare from the Crosby orchestra which found considerable success, touring nationally and recording several albums.
From 1960, Bauduc lived in Bellaire, Texas, in semi-retirement, but visited New Orleans in 1983. He appeared occasionally at Crosby Orchestra reunions and made a number of records with reedman Pud Brown. He continued to perform into the early 1980s in Houston’s Market Square Jazz Band.
Ray Bauduc died in Houston, Texas, on January 8, 1988. – adapted from Wikipedia
