About Elmer Chambers
Lived 1897 – 1952 (aged 54–55). Elmer Chambers was an American jazz musician.
Dallas Elmer Chambers, also called Frog and Muffle Jaws Chambers (1897, Bayonne, New Jersey - ca. 1952, Jersey City, New Jersey) was an American jazz trumpeter.
Chambers played in marching bands while serving in World War I, where he met bandleader Sam Wooding. He played with Wooding in Atlantic City, Detroit, and New York City, but left his service before Wooding's tours abroad. In 1923 he began playing with Fletcher Henderson in both large and small ensembles, and played on recordings behind the blues singers Alberta Hunter, Rosa Henderson, Clara Smith, and Ida Cox. He played with Louis Armstrong, and recorded with him on sessions for Decca, Verve, and Paramount. While with Armstrong he played alongside Coleman Hawkins, Don Redman, Buster Bailey, and Joe Smith.
Chambers left Henderson in 1926 and played subsequently in the bands of Ellsworth Reynolds (1926), Billy Fowler (1926–27), and Russell Wooding (1930). He played in pit orchestras, in touring revues, and with Fats Waller, Sidney Bechet, and June Cole before going into semi-retirement in the 1930s.
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Important facts
People in Elmer Chambers's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Elmer Chambers's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Elmer Chambers?
American jazz trumpeter
When was Elmer Chambers born?
Elmer Chambers was born in 1897 in Bayonne.
When did Elmer Chambers die?
Elmer Chambers died in 1952 in Jersey City.
What was Elmer Chambers's occupation?
Elmer Chambers was a jazz musician.
What nationality was Elmer Chambers?
Elmer Chambers was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Elmer Chambers. https://biography.guide/elmer-chambers/
MLA: "Elmer Chambers." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/elmer-chambers/.
Chicago: "Elmer Chambers." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/elmer-chambers/.
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