Hoosier History Live is an independently produced new media project about Indiana history, integrating podcasts, website www.HoosierHistoryLive.org, weekly enewsletter, and social media. Its original content comes initially from a live with call in weekly talk radio show hosted by author and historian Nelson Price. You can hear the show live Saturdays from noon to 1 pm ET at WICR 88.7 fm or stream the show live at the WICR HD1 app on your phone, or at our website.
March 23, 2024
Lives of musicians post-Indiana Avenue heyday
Although the heyday of the Indiana Avenue jazz music scene in Indianapolis has been explored frequently – including on Hoosier History Live shows – one aspect is seldom discussed. What happened to the lives of the musicians during the 1970s, '80s and '90s? Where did they perform after the Indiana Avenue nightclubs closed?
Those are the questions we will explore when Nelson is joined by a well-known Indianapolis musician and producer who worked with, was influenced by and befriended many of the jazz notables who, earlier in their lives, had performed on "The Avenue". The heyday of the Indiana Avenue jazz scene generally is defined as stretching from the 1940s through the mid-1960s.
Bill Myers, 58, who is best known as a bass player (although he has played several other musical instruments), began meeting former Indiana Avenue headliners as a 12-year-old. He eventually went on to play an array of gigs with everyone from the legendary Slide Hampton (1932-2021) to saxophonist Jimmy Coe (1921-2004). Bill Myers thinks he has the distinction of being the only male to ever play bass with the popular Hampton Sisters after one of them, Virtue Hampton, their bass player, suffered a stroke.
So Bill Myers, a past president of the New York-based African American Jazz Caucus, will share insights about all of them and others as Nelson's studio guest. A 1984 graduate of Broad Ripple High School, Bill has enjoyed a multi-media career that has included extensive work as an actor and speaker; in the late 1980s, he was a regular on an ABC-TV soap opera, Loving, which was filmed in New York. Here's a sampling of his insights about some of the musicians who drew crowds at Indiana Avenue's nightspots:
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Larry Ridley: "My mom introduced me to (the jazz bassist and educator) when I was 12 . . . Larry has been like a father and always encouraged and supported me."
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Pookie Johnson: "He provided me with sage advice on the bandstand" during a gig when Bill was performing with the well-known saxophone player. During our show, Bill will describe the sage advice.
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Jimmy Coe: "He was a genius, a great player, a mentor to me, and a gifted arranger."
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Les Taylor: As a jazz artist-in-residence for Indianapolis Public Schools, the bandleader encouraged young Bill to pursue dual paths as a musician and an actor "when many other music mentors tried to discourage my acting interest".
The biggest star of the Indiana Avenue jazz scene, Grammy Award-winning guitarist Wes Montgomery, had died in 1968 when he was preparing to tour Japan. So Bill didn't perform with him, but he did have gigs with Wes Montgomery's brother, Buddy Montgomery (1930-2009).
Although Bill will be discussing his performances (and interactions) with jazz musicians during our show, he is associated with a wide range of genres. He often performs with a band, Bill Myers & The Trash Collectors.
Just as jazz music is known as improvisational, the gigs at nightspots in which Bill played with many of the former Indiana Avenue stars were spontaneous, he recalls. The gigs often happened suddenly and lasted for one night only when, in his case, a bass player was needed quickly. The performances live on only in the memories of those who were there that night.
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