A Detroit band called McKinney’s Cotton Pickers was one of the most popular jazz bands of the late 1920s and early 1930s making several hit records. On July 11, 1928 they were in a Chicago studio recording the song Crying and Sighing for Victor Records.

The Cotton Pickers were formed in 1926 and Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson’s saxophonist and chief arranger, was asked to become the musical director of the group by its founder William McKinney. Redman accepted the offer and began writing for and rehearsing the band making them one of the most technically proficient ensembles of the time.

During the group’s eight year run some prominent musicians of the time enjoyed membership including Doc Cheatham, Rex Stewart, James P. Johnson and Benny Carter, who took the helm of the band upon Redman’s departure to form his own group in 1931. In 1929 several notables sat in with McKinney’s Cotton Pickers for recording sessions. These artists included Fats Waller and Coleman Hawkins.

In 1934 the Cotton Pickers disbanded due to financial difficulties in the depth of the Great Depression. In the 1970s a new group using the same name and playing the original Redman arrangements was founded by David Hutson.

Here is a link to the original 1928 recording of Crying and Sighing by McKinney’s Cotton Pickers. Note the unusual celeste solo by Todd Rhodes:

"CRYING AND SIGHING"