Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson on leaving Houston

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Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson discusses his decision to be a musician

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Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson on being a band leader

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Q: “How did you get out of Houston and out into the big world?”

A: “Well, Cootie was ... you know, after he left Goodman, you know, he went to organize his own band, so that was around about '41 or '42 when he came down to Texas. We had a band called Milton Larkin Band down there. It was a territorial band. It had, you know, an eight cog and you know, we all had to have Illinois as a kid, but you know, we had a nice, nice, nice thing there. And so we decided ... well, Basie had heard me sing the blues before when he came down with his band, so he and Cootie being friends, he suggested that Cootie come down and, you know, I guess, get me and he wanted to get on it, but I finally wound up going. And so with the first record we had made was Cherry Red Blues an old hit record, but you know, it really took off during that time, so that's how I got and left Texas and got up to New York.”