AJHF: Artists: Hall of Fame: 2012:Joe Crirpps

Artists

Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame - 2012 Inductees

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Joe Cripps

Joe Cripps was born in Springdale, Arkansas on June 26, 1954. He attended Springdale Public Schools where he started playing the cello in 1965. In 1967 the lure of the String Bass attracted him because he was too small to participate in sports and playing the bass made him feel "bigger". He took private lessons from Jean Adams and Don Reinfeld at the University of Arkansas excelling in classical music. In 1968, with the opening of Southwest Jr. High School in Springdale, he joined the band program picking up a second instrument, the Tuba. Besides studying privately on bass, he took lessons privately from Gerald Sloan, low brass instructor at the U of A.

Joe made Arkansas All State Orchestra on bass from 1969-1972, and was 1st chair two of those four years. In 1972, he also made Arkansas All-state First Band on Tuba. It was during his high school years that he was exposed to the world of Jazz. Besides playing electric bass with local rock bands, he started playing at the Library club in Fayetteville with John Puckett who would drive up on weekends from Hot Springs. It was during this time that he started playing bass with the North Arkansas Symphony. He also played professionally with the Tulsa Philharmonic and the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestras. Joe graduated from Springdale High School in 1972.

Upon graduation, Joe was offered and accepted a full scholarship from the University of Arkansas. Joe played tuba with the Marching Razorback band in 1972-73 and again in 1975 under the direction of Eldon Janzen. Joe also played with the North Arkansas Symphony and numerous other musical organizations at the U of A. In 1975, a local territory big band, the Forrest Wasson Orchestra at the Shangri-La Resort, in Grove, Oklahoma came calling and Joe began his training playing in big bands. Joe played with this group from 1975 until 1983 playing with great musicians who played and were alumni of some of the great bands. Bitsy Mullins and Billy Hunt were two of his mentors as to the basics and mechanics of big band playing. It was during this time, that Joe took leave of college studies and devoted all his energies to learning big band style. In the spring of 1983, Joe got to play with the Woody Herman Big Band and was offered the job to go with them on tour in Japan on their "World Class" album tour. Joe turned it down in order to finish and graduate with a B.S.E. in Music Education. It was during this era that Joe played with several "ghost" bands: Les Elgart, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Jan Garber, Russ Morgan, Glen Miller, and Dick Jergins bands, to name a few.

In August 1983, Joe started a four year stint as an orchestra director with the Pulaski County Special School District. In 1985, Joe received a B.M. in bass performance from the U of A. In the fall of 1987, Joe started working for the Little Rock School District. From 1987 thru 1992, he was assistant band director, orchestra director, and jazz band director at Parkview Magnet Fine Arts High School. From 1994 thru 1996, he was band director at Pulaski Heights Jr. High, Cloverdale Jr. High, and Dunbar Jr. High. In the fall of 1996, Joe started a seventeen year stint as orchestra director at Booker Arts Magnet Elementary and retired from teaching in May of 2011 after 28 years in the teaching profession.

When Joe moved to Little Rock in 1983, he met and began playing as the bassist with the Art Porter Trio and played exclusively with the group until Art's death in 1994. It was during this time that Joe also met and played with Charles Thomas and his group Artistry. In the summer of 1998, E. O. Huddleston, the leader of the Happy Tymes Jazz Band called and asked him to play tuba with his group. Goose, as everyone knows E.O. as led Joe down the path of traditional Dixieland Jazz. During this association, the group played for twelve years at the W. C. Handy Jazz Festival in Florence, Alabama. Joe also played occasional "spot" gigs with the Beale Street Jazz Band in Memphis. This band primarily was a festival band lead by an outstanding musician named Dan Wilkinson. Joe recorded CDs with both these Dixieland bands on tuba and upright bass. In the summer of 1988, Joe toured East Germany with the bluegrass band Wildfire. It was the first ever bluegrass band from the west to tour that country. This band was also featured at the International Country Music Festival in Budapest, Hungary. In 2007, Joe joined Ted Ludwig and his trio. They have enjoyed a location gig at the Capitol Hotel in Little Rock since 2008. Joe considers this gig as reaching the pinnacle of his career. They recorded a CD in 2008 named "Sha-Bang", a live CD recording in 2010, and have another coming in 2013. Thanks to Ted and his drive to push and challenge, Joe felt he was playing the best ever of his career. Due to his ongoing health issues, Joe decided to retire completely in September of 2012 while "on top" of his game. Joe wishes to thank God, family, teachers and numerous friends for the talent and support of a career he would not change for anything. If he had to do it over again, it would be without question!

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