By Gina Lanaux

I don't know what I expected when I scheduled an interview with Chip Herrington to talk about his band. Still, I really didn't expect him to arrive at the Bluegill on his motorcycle, dressed in a coat and tie, just coming from the Courthouse where he had an arraignment. An attorney and a musician, with an easy demeanor, I knew this was going to be fun!

The Mobile Big Band Society LLC is a non-profit organization with the mission to support the performance and preservation of the music of the Big Band era. Founded in 2009, it was the vision of another attorney, Ralph Holberg, who plays piano, and Chip, a trumpet player, joined him to create an 18-piece big band with 5 saxophones, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, bass, drums, and 2 vocalists to round out the sound. They play classics from the ’30s through the ’60s, “The Great American Songbook” with composers like Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and Henry Mancini. Chip said with a twinkle in his eye,“ I'm not tooting my own horn, but we have the best band assemblage of musicians around.  My threshold is that the musicians must be at least as good or better than me.” As the band leader, he chooses the band members, hires and fires, and manages their bookings. He also believes the band members should be paid well.

When Ralph and Chip were getting things started, David Cooper, of Cooper Restaurants, was instrumental in coming up with some seed money to buy equipment and sheet music and also had a venue for a monthly performance at the Bluegill, and for the last 16 years, the Band has played the third Tuesday of every month, March through October. The first show of summer will be held on March 18th, from 6:30 till 8:30 pm on the outside stage with plenty of room for dancing. Chip says that a local alligator named, Pickle, swims over during the show and hangs out beneath the trumpet section. She must like to hear Someone to Watch Over Me by Ira Gershwin. 

Chip's background is an interesting one. He was born in Columbia, Mississippi, to two Music Educators. His father was a trombone player and High School Band director and his mother was an opera singer, voice and choral director and also taught piano lessons. “ My father always had instruments lying around, and I found a cornet in the attic. I was in the second grade and played around with it like a toy. I found a beginner band book and learned to play a C scale. I was in the school band from 5th grade through 12th grade, and then played trumpet in The Pride Of Mississippi Marching Band at Southern Miss.” Because I have a dance background, I asked about the Dixie Darlings, who are the dance team for the band. “You know how sororities and fraternities have “Swaps”. Well,  I threw a big party and we (the trumpet section) invited the entire Dixie Darling dance team and I called it the “Dixie Darling/Trumpet swap.” 

Chip first came to Mobile in 1987, accepting a job as assistant Band Director at Vigor High School. While he liked the students and the (great) Vigor band director, Clifton Thomas, he quickly realized that he was not really happy being a school band director. He decided to pursue a legal career, attending Ole Miss Law School from 1988 to 1990. However, before departing for Oxford, Mississippi, he was hired by the well-known Mobile band leader, Bob Schultz, to play lead trumpet. This would prove significant as one of his fellow musicians, Bill Steele (a saxophonist and lawyer), would ultimately facilitate Chip’s return to Mobile by helping him get his first job as an attorney with the Mobile DA’s office in 1991.

Upon his return, Chip immediately resumed his spot in The Bob Schultz band, which was still very active at the time. Bob’s was “a union band” and Chip joined the local musicians union (AFM 407) which led to many other performance opportunities. He explained to me that during that time, national acts would book dates in Mobile and hire union musicians to play in their shows. “I got to play with Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, the O’Jays, and many others. It was an incredible experience.“ 

 Later, in 1993, Chip joined up with sax players Kent and Michelle Karcher to form the  “Hurricane Horns,” which continued to play with numerous bands throughout the region from New Orleans to Atlanta to Memphis. This led to an association as a horn section for Mobile’s famed Wet Willie, a relationship that continues to this day.

The Big Band Society presently plays 2 or 3 gigs a month and often does concerts for music series in Mobile, Daphne, and Fairhope. They have also played at my favorite venue, Live at Five at the Halstead Amphitheater. Chip is also the frontman for a 5 piece ensemble, The Chip Herrington Jazz 5, which often plays at the People's Room of Mobile every second Friday for Mobile’s Art Walk.

Many mature fans remember the songs and sounds of Big Bands, and the younger generation is learning to love the melodies, harmonies, and romantic lyrics of the Great American Songbook.  Ballroom dancers who love to foxtrot and swing come to enjoy the live music. Chip tells me that the first Bluegill gig was a huge hit with a packed house, and it remains this way today. While we are enjoying talking on the deck, the servers and managers of the Bluegill come to speak to ‘Mr. Chip” I asked one how soon I should arrive for the next Big Band Night. “ To get a table, come at least 3 hours early. You can show up during the show or just before, and you will definitely be able to come to the show, you just may not have any place to sit,” he said. This must be a really popular event and I will put on my dancin’ shoes and wait to hear my favorite tune, Satin Doll, one of my very first dance recital songs in 1960. ……and Take the A Train, I've got a crush on you and more and more. 

Chip Herrington is one cool dude, and the Mobile Big Band Society is an important part of the arts and culture scene in the Scenic98 coastal area. I look forward to hearing them on the third Tuesday! Be There or Be Square!