University of North Alabama Office of University
 William M. Jarnigan, Director
Tel: 256 765-4225 Fax: 256 765-4812
E--mail: wjarniga@unanovuna.edt
July 21, 2000

TOMMY MARTIN LOANS BILL CHASE TRUMPET, CLOTHES & MEMORABILIA FOR UNA EXHIBITION

For release: Immediately
FLORENCE, Ala. - Memorabilia of virtuoso trumpeter Bill Chase, who died in a plane crash August 9, 1974 at the height of his popularity as a recording artist, was unveiled today in an exhibition loaned to the University of North Alabama during the W. C. Handy Music Festival week by record company executive and Chase's former manager Tommy Martin, of Florence

Martin presented Chase's trumpet to Dr. Garry Warren, dean of information technologies at UNA, at Sunday's opening ceremony of the Handy Festival at the Handy Home and Museum. During the festival, the Chase exhibition will be open to the public from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. (The Handy Festival, in memory of the Florence-born father of blues, will continue through Saturday, August 5.)

The display in UNA's Collier Library includes Chase's Schilke B-3 trumpet which was mangled in the crash of a two-engine Piper Commanche near Jackson, Minnesota, that killed the bandleader, three other musicians and the pilot. The exhibition will also include the music manuscript of "Get It On," which was a popular jazz-rock record at the time from the 1971 album Chase. Also in the display are some of his show clothes, including two pairs of shoes, a gold sweater, a purple leather fringe jacket, two pairs of pants, two belts and four shirts. There are numerous color and black-and-white photographs, album covers, a Chase bumper sticker, contracts and magazine articles.

Martin, the owner of the Internet record company Great-Music.com in Florence, said, "Bill Chase is just now being recognized again for his greatness. We feel it is apropos that he be remembered during the Handy Festival, which is an internationally-renowned event that annually draws jazz musicians to play together in the Shoals. Bill Chase was a good friend and I am glad to showcase this memorabilia so that the younger public can learn about him and the older fans recall his  MUSIC.

Dr. Warren said, "We are grateful at UNA that our alumni who have done well in the entertainment industry are providing us with these kinds of opportunities to better educate our students and the general public of various endeavors in life. Tommy Martin has previously been very generous in helping us add to the George Lindsey Television and Film Collection of scripts and memorabilia which allows UNA to become an attraction for students and researchers who want to study the scripts and other artifacts about the industry."

William "Bill" Chase, who was born William Chiaiese in Squantum, Massachusetts in October 1934, studied music at the Berklee School of Music in Boston before joining the band of Maynard Ferguson as the lead trumpeter. Then he played lead trumpet with bandleaders Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Chase also played in Las Vegas shows before organizing in 1970 his nine-piece group, which he called Chase. Their debut recording led to a Grammy nomination in 1971 for best new artist award, which Carly Simon won.

Chase, along with organist Wally Yohn, of Phoenix, Arizona; drummer Walter Clark, of Williamstown, N.J.; guitarist John Emma, of Geneva, Ill.; and the pilot Daniel Ludwig, of Chicago, Ill., died in the crash just 75 yards from the landing strip near the Iowa border during a rainstorm. They were on their way to perform at the Jackson County Fair. The other musicians in the group had driven there.

Martin has been in recent contact about the exhibit with Chase's son Bill, Jr., of Staten Island, N.Y. Chase is also survived by his widow Nan and daughter Linda who live in northern N.Y. His mother Emily and sister Annemarie live in the Boston, Mass., area.

Martin is keeping the legend of the group Chase and its leader alive on his Internet website, Great-Music.com, where he sells CDs by the group to fans worldwide. "Bill Chase is still looked upon as one of the premier trumpet players of all time. His music is still performed by high school, university and professional bands," Martin said.

Born Tommy Parrish in Tishomingo, Mississippi, Martin (his stage name) graduated in 1956 with one of the first majors in music education from UNA. He is a trumpet player and former big band leader. During his music career he has lived in Kansas City, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Palm Springs, California.

He once co-owned Beacon Artists, Corp., then the largest booking agency in the Midwest, and has owned several record companies. As a record producer or manager, Martin has worked with artists like Chase, Ides of March, Roy Clark, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Woody Herman, Harry Caray ("Take Me Out To The Ballgame"), the Four Lads, Krystof (the number one male vocalist in Poland last year) and LaToya Jackson.
 
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