Earl Carruthers

Who was Earl Carruthers?

Earl "Jock" Carruthers was an American jazz saxophonist associated with the Kansas City jazz scene.

Carruthers studied at Fisk University in the 1920s, and began playing in Bennie Moten's ensemble in 1928. He worked in St. Louis, Missouri early in the next decade with Dewey Jackson and Fate Marable, then joined the band of Jimmie Lunceford in 1932. He recorded with Lunceford often and remained a member of his orchestra until Lunceford's death in 1947.

Following this Carruthers played with Joe Thomas and Ed Wilcox, and he worked locally in Kansas City through the 1960s.