Get In The Groove

Genuine Texas Artist Sumter Bruton

SUMTER BRUTON, considered by many to be one of the top interpreters of the T-Bone Walker guitar style as well as an authority on blues and rhythm and blues music, died on September 30, 2022. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in a musical family. His late father was a jazz drummer and his younger brother, the late Stephen Bruton, was a guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. Sumter was the last member of the Bruton family who founded Record Town in 1957. It remains a Fort Worth bedrock of music and recordings.

Sumter’s career began when he started playing guitar in 1962. The first bands he played in were college blues and rock & roll combos. In 1968 Sumter joined the Robert Ealey Blues Band. He was the only white musician in the group that became Robert Ealey and the 5 Careless Lovers in 1972. In 1974 Sumter formed his own band called Boogie Uproar, a blues and R&B band that featured a horn section. A year later he formed a similar band called Rhumboogie.

In 1977 Sumter, along with singer/songwriter/guitarist Jim Colegrove, started the Juke Jumpers, a legendary Texas R&B, rockabilly, jazz and swing band. The Juke Jumpers recorded five LPs and toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe. The band performed together for 17 years and have had multiple reunions. 2017 marked their 40th anniversary.

Sumter got together with Mike Price, a singer/songwriter/piano player, in 1993 to record Bruton & Price—Swingmasters Revue. They performed together locally. This group recorded several CDs now available.


Discography

Robert Ealey & The 5 Careless Lovers - Blue Royal BR 300 - 1973
Live at the New Bluebird Nite Club

Slim Richey - Ridgerunner RRR0009 - 1977
Jazz Grass

Jim Colegrove and the Juke Jumpers - Flying High FH6501 - 1978
Panther City Blues

Johnny Reno - Miracle 45-1 - 1979
Boogie Woogie Santa Claus/Blues Before Christmas

The Juke Jumpers - Amazing 1001 - 1980
Border Radio

Kenny Wayne - Amazing 1002 - 1980
Borned With the Blues and Raised On Rock & Roll

The Juke Jumpers - Amazing 1005 - 1981
The Joint’s Jumpin’!

Robert Ealey and the Juke Jumpers - Amazing 1004 - 1981
Bluebird Open

The Juke Jumpers - Varrick VR016 - 1984
Jumper Cables

The Juke Jumpers - Amazing 1017 - 1988
Live!

Zuzu Bollin - Dallas Blues Society - 1989
Texas Bluesman DBS 8900

Doyle Bramhall - Antone’s ANT 0027 - 1994
Bird’s Nest on the Ground

Sumter Bruton and Mike Price - Aristokraft AKCD 780001 - 1994
Bruton and Price—Swingmasters Revue

Robert Ealey - Topcat 01942 - 1995
If You Need Me

Sumter Bruton and Mike Price - Aristokraft AKCD 7805 - 2000
Bruton and Price—Swingmasters Revue Vol. 2

The Juke Jumpers - Cool Groove CD 103
Amazing Records!, 2003
(reissue of Amazing 1001 and Amazing 1005)

The Juke Jumpers - Cool Groove CD 107
On Stage, 2007
(reissue of Amazing 1017 with 4 additional tracks)

The Juke Jumpers - Cool Groove CD 111
Villa Acuña, 1963, 2009
(contains 1 previously unissued track)

Films


True Stories   -   Directed by David Byrne
A Tiger’s Tale   -   Directed by Peter Douglas

T-Bone Waker with Sumter and others, 1974
Photo taken in Fort Worth, Texas, 1974.
Top row, L-R: Juanita Martin (musician), Trudy Coleman (Ornette’s sister), Sumter Bruton, unknown
Bottom row, L-R: Nathan Lewis (T-Bone’s godson), T-Bone Walker, unknown, Pete Kendall

Visit Record Town Record Town
120 St. Louis Avenue, Suite 105
Fort Worth, TX 76104
817-926-1331

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