Advisor
Applegate, Erik
Committee Member
White, Jim
Committee Member
Caffey, H. David
Committee Member
Kovalcheck, Steve
Department
College of Performing and Visual Arts; School of Music, Jazz Studies
Institution
University of Northern Colorado
Type of Resources
Text
Place of Publication
Greeley (Colo.)
Publisher
University of Northern Colorado
Date Created
5-2020
Extent
359 pages
Digital Origin
Born digital
Abstract
This study focuses on the career of Bob Cranshaw by examining his musical attributes and his leadership within the jazz community. Cranshaw’s career exceeded sixty years and yielded more than 400 recordings with artists such as Sonny Rollins, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Dexter Gordon, and numerous others. His career is examined using recordings, interviews, articles, discographies, and other publications. Biographical information about Cranshaw’s upbringing, education, military service, and family dynamic offers perspective on how he established himself as a professional bassist and clarifies certain important decisions regarding his work. A timeline of Cranshaw’s career is constructed using discographies, articles, and interviews to show the development of his professional life. New interviews with Cranshaw, his colleagues, and his students further illuminate the range and scope of his work musically and non-musically. The identification of important events and key elements in Cranshaw’s professional and personal life makes it possible to better understand how and why he achieved success. In so doing, this study recognizes Cranshaw’s significant place in jazz history.
Degree type
PhD
Degree Name
Doctoral
Local Identifiers
Lewis_unco_0161D_10839.pdf
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.