Last updated October 13, 2021

Year Date Artist Venue Additional Info

1924 6/5/1924 King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band Gym Annex Senior Ball. Louis Armstrong did not leave King Oliver's band for NYC until September;

it is likely Armstrong was on this gig.

1925 4/16/1925 Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra Auditorium (Foellinger)

1929 4/5/1929 Cab Calloway and his Alabamians College Hall

1932 7/13/1932 King Oliver and His Orchestra Robeson Roof Extended engagement July 13-17, July 20, July 24

1937 12/10/1937 Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Huff Gymnasium

1939 3/10/1939 Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Huff Gymnasium

1939 4/28/1939 Benny Goodman Orchestra Huff Gymnasium

1940 4/27/1940 Les Hite Sigma Alpha Mu Spring formal. Champaign native

1941 3/29/1941 Cab Calloway and His Orchestra Huff Gym Freshman Frolic

1946 11/16/1946 "ReBop Music" Douglass Comm. Center Omega Psi Phi + Delta Sigma Theta informal dance.

1947 10/23/1947 "Jazz at the Philharmonic" Champaign Jr High School w/ Coleman Hawkins (ts), Bill Harris (tb), Howard McGhee (tp), Flip Phillips (ts), Ray Brown (b), Hank Jones (p), J.C. Heard (d). Radio bcast from local music store 4:15pm.

1949 2/14/1949 Woody Herman Orch + Nat King Cole Trio Champaign Jr High School

1949 11/16/1949 Woody Herman Orch + Nat King Cole Quartet Champaign Jr High School

1952 10/30/1952 Stan Kenton, Sarah Vaughn, Nat King Cole Huff Gymnasium w/ Maynard Ferguson in Kenton's band "The Biggest Show of '52"

1956 2/15/1956 "Birdland Stars of 1956" Huff Gymnasium Count Basie + Otrch (w/Sarah Vaughn & Al Hibbler), East-West Jazz Septet (Conti Condoli, Kenny Dorham, Al Cohn, Roy Haines, Joe Benjamin, Jimmy Jones, Phil Woods), Johnny Smith, Joe Williams, Lester Young, Bud Powell

1956 3/28/1956 Woody Herman's Third Herd Huff Gymnasium w/Vince Guaraldi in band

1956 3/28/1956 Louis Armstrong Huff Gymnasium Double bill with Woody Herman's Third Herd

1956 10/16/1956 Dave Brubeck Huff Gymnasium w/ Paul Desmond (as), Joe Morello (d), Unknown bassist (Norman Bates?). Brubeck was interviewed on WILL Radio 10/21/1956 by Kevin Wheeler 10:15am "on "Campus Tour"

1957 11/14/1957 "Jazz For Moderns" Concert Huff Gymnasium George Shearing, Gerry Mulligan, Chico Hamilton, Miles Davis, Helen Merrill, Australian Jazz Quartet. Shearing & Hamilton fell ill w/flu during the show.

1958 11/20/1958 Louis Armstrong Auditorium (Foellinger)

1959 4/6/1959 Modern Jazz Quartet Auditorium (Foellinger)

1962 3/21/1962 J.J. Johnson Auditorium (Foellinger) Univerity Jazz Festival - Johnson was guest soloist with University Jazz Band

1962 3/22/1962 Modern Jazz Quartet Auditorium (Foellinger) Univerity Jazz Festival

1963 2/15/1963 Stan Getz Auditorium (Foellinger) w/ Steve Kuhn (p), Al Harewood (d), Tommy Williams (b). Folk duo Steve Addiss & Bill Crofut played during intermission

1963 3/22/1963 Modern Jazz Quartet Auditorium (Foellinger)

1964 4/30/1964 Wes Montgomery Trio Union "Jazz U Like It" series. w/ unknown organ and drums

1964 9/26/1964 Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto Assembly Hall w/ Joe Hunt (d), Gary Burton (vibes),, unknown bassist. Gaslight Singers + The Outsiders also on bill.

1965 2/10/1965 Miriam Makeba Auditorium (Foellinger)

1966 9/26/1966 Jack McDuff Foellinger Auditorium w/ Ron & Cecil Bridgewater

1966 10/21/1966 Count Basie and his Orchestra Huff Gymnasium w/ Lockjaw Davis, Marshall Royal, Al Grey, Freddie Green "Homecoming Concert"

1968 4/26/1968 Stan Getz Assembly Hall w/ comedian Jackie Vernon "Greek Week" concert

1971 5/14/1971 American College Jazz Festival Krannert Center 7 college jazz bands. 5/14 Guests: Dizzy Gillespie, Lalo Schifrin

1971 5/15/1971 American College Jazz Festival Krannert Center 7 college jazz bands. 5/15 guests: Bill Evans, Al Cohn, Bill Watrous

1971 5/16/1971 American College Jazz Festival Krannert Center 7 college jazz bands. 5/16 guests: Bill Evans, Clark Terry

1971 11/3/1971 Preservation Hall Jazz Band Assembly Hall

1972 4/22/1972 Willie "The Lion"Smith w/ Jim Hall Krannert Center Illini Spring Jazz Festival

1972 5/5/1972 Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Krannert Center

1972 7/15/1972 Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Krannert Center

1972 11/10/1972 Weather Report Channing-Murray Foundation Also 11/11/1972. w/ Joe Zawinul (k), Wayne Shorter (ts), Miroslav Vitous (b), Dom Um Romao (perc), Erick Gravatt (d)

1973 2/4/1973 Mose Allison Channing-Murray Foundation Also 2/5/1973

1973 2/16/1973 Herbie Hancock Channing-Murray Foundation w/ Eddie Henderson (tp), Bennie Maupin (fl, sax, clar), Justin Priester (tb), Pat Gleason (synth), Billy Hart (d)

1973 2/17/1973 Herbie Hancock Channing-Murray Foundation

1973 2/18/1973 Herbie Hancock Channing-Murray Foundation

1973 9/6/1973 Count Basie and his Orchestra Krannert Center

1973 9/26/1973 Return To Forever Channing-Murray Foundation also 9/27/1973. w/Chick Corea (k), Bill Connors (g), Stanley Clarke (b), Lenny White (d)

1974 2/18/1974 Sugar Cane Harris Ruby Gulch Nightly engagement through 2/21/1974

1974 9/2/1974 George Freeman Ruby Gulch w/ Ken Prince (organ) and Gene Fox (Drums)

1975 1/20/1975 Elvin Jones Quartet Ruby Gulch

1975 2/19/1975 Oregon Ruby Gulch Also on 2/20/1975 Ralph Towner (guitar) - Paul McCandless (oboe) - Colin Wolcott (Tabla, sitar) - Glenn Moore (bass)

1975 2/28/1975 Koko Taylor Ruby Gulch Also March 1, 1975

1975 3/4/1975 Rashaan Roland Kirk Ruby Gulch Also March 5, 1975

1975 3/10/1975 Mose Allison Trio Ruby Gulch Also March 11, 1975

1975 4/4/1975 Preservation Hall Jazz Band Assembly Hall

1975 4/8/1975 John Lee Hooker Auditorium (Foellinger)

1975 3/22/1975 Passport Ruby Gulch German jazz fusion, similar to Weather Report

1975 4/3/1975 Ben Sidran & Friends Ruby Gulch Also April 4, 1975 - w/ Phil Upchurch (bass) & Curley Cooke (guitar)

1975 5/11/1975 Luther Allison Ruby Gulch Also May 12, 1975

1975 8/30/1975 Mose Allison Trio Ruby Gulch Also Sept 1, 1975

1975 9/18/1975 Albert King Ruby Gulch

1975 9/22/1975 Charles Mingus Ruby Gulch w/ George Adams (ts), Jack Waltrath (tp), Don Pullen (p), Dannie Richmond (d). Memphis Nighthawks opened (w/Ron Dewar)

1975 10/1/1975 Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee Ruby Gulch Also 10/2/1975

1975 10/7/1975 Kinky Friedman Ruby Gulch

1975 10/28/1975 Papa John Creach Ruby Gulch w/ Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon

1975 10/29/1975 Willie Dixon Ruby Gulch

1975 8/21/1975 Mighty Joe Young Ruby Gulch Also 8/22 and 8/23/1975

1975 9/10/1975 Luther Allison Ruby Gulch

1975 9/27/1975 Jimmy Dawkins Blues Band Ruby Gulch

1975 10/12/1975 Roy Ayers Ruby Gulch

1975 10/18/1975 Henry Mancini Assembly Hall

1975 10/18/1975 George Benson Ruby Gulch Show started 2 hours late; locals Fred Simon & David Onderdonk were impromptu warm-up.

1975 10/20/1975 Koko Taylor Ruby Gulch

1975 12/6/1975 McCoy Tyner Ruby Gulch

1975 12/16/1975 Elvin Jones Quartet Ruby Gulch

1975 12/17/1975 Freddie King Ruby Gulch

1976 2/25/1976 Oregon Ruby Gulch

1976 3/3/1976 Charles Mingus Ruby Gulch