Wendell Culley

Wendell Philips Culley (January 8, 1906 in Worcester, Massachusetts – May 8, 1983 in Los Angeles, CA) was an American jazz trumpeter.

Culley played locally in Boston, then moved to New York City in 1931, where he found early work playing with Horace Henderson and Cab Calloway. He then spent 11 years in the employ of Noble Sissle, recording with him extensively. Following this he played with Lionel Hampton (1944–49), then worked again briefly with Sissle before playing in Count Basie's Orchestra from 1951 to 1959.

After working with Basie, Culley retired from music and pursued a career in insurance.

Discography

With Count Basie

• The Count! (Clef, 1952 [1955])
• Basie Jazz (Clef, 1952 [1954])
• Dance Session (Clef, 1953)
• Dance Session Album#2 (Clef, 1954)
• Basie (Clef, 1954)
• Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (Clef, 1955) with Joe Williams
• April in Paris (Verve, 1956)
• The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards with Joe Williams
• Metronome All-Stars 1956 (Clef, 1956) with Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams
• Hall of Fame (Verve, 1956 [1959])
• Basie in London (Verve, 1956)
• One O'Clock Jump (Verve, 1957) with Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald
• Count Basie at Newport (Verve, 1957)
• The Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette, 1957) aka Basie and E=MC²
• Basie Plays Hefti (Roulette, 1958)
• Sing Along with Basie (Roulette, 1958) with Joe Williams and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
• Basie One More Time (Roulette, 1959)
• Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (Roulette, 1959)
• Everyday I Have the Blues (Roulette, 1959) with Joe Williams
• The Count Basie Story (Roulette, 1960)

References

• "Wendell Culley". Grove Jazz online.
• New England Jazz History Database