Crump was born in
Oskaloosa, Iowa, on November2, 1907, and spent his teenage years in
Davenport.[2][3] In 1927, he was playing lead saxophone with a band called The Virginia Ravens, when
Eddie Barefield joined it in
Geneseo, Illinois, and was apparently still traveling with them in 1930.[2][4]
In the mid-1930s, Crump was a member of J.Frank Terry's touring band, the Chicago Nightingales,[5][6][7] which included trumpeters
Dick Vance and
Francis Williams (in whose truck the band covered 50,000 miles over a six-month period during 1934).[8] At around this time, he settled in
Buffalo, New York, where he played at the numerous local venues where
swing music was featured.[2]
In 1947, it was reported that the "Bill Crump Band ha[d] moved into the Heatwave, Buffalo", suggesting a residency at the club.[9] Ten years on, but in the same city, Crump was leading a quartet called the Los Chamacos Group at the Latonas (formerly the Copa Casino). A music journalist observed that the ensemble had "a lot of personality to keep you watching with your ears open", and also noted that in his career, Crump had worked with musicians such as
Sarah Vaughan,
Al Hibbler,
Eartha Kitt,
Joyce Bryant, "Dinah",[a] and also
Sammy Davis Jr.[10]
Crump was active in the Buffalo branch ("local 533") of the
Colored Musicians Union,[b] of which he was vice-president from 1949 to 1952. He was also a member of the historic
Colored Musicians Club.[2] In a 1994 interview, contemporary Conrad Toepfer Jr. recalled that "[t]here was so much talent at The Club. I mean guys like Bob[c] and Bill Crump. Bill Crump had worked, with the
Count Basie Band".[12]
^Townley, Eric (1977).
"Franc Williams". Storyville. No. 70. Chigwell: Storyville Publications and Co. pp. 124–129. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via National Jazz Archive.
^Fernett, Gene (1970). Swing Out: Great Negro Dance Bands. Midland, MI: Pendell Publishing Company. p. 154. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Internet Archive. (Includes photo of Crump with the Chicago Nightingales).
^"Trade Tattle – Stuff". Down Beat. Vol. 14, no. 13. Chicago: Down Beat Publishing Co. June 18, 1947. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
^Carter, June (October 13, 1966). ""Had a Good Time"". The Buffalo Challenger. Vol. 4, no. 22 (Buffalo–Rochester ed.). Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Challenger Publishing Co. pp. 4–5. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via
Newspapers.com.
^Kayatin, William Jr. (1994).
"Interview; Conrad Toepfer Jr.; 04-10-1994"(PDF). Papers. Buffalo, NY: Monroe Fordham Regional History Center, State University of New York College at Buffalo. Retrieved January 4, 2023.