“Bullish” on Trumpet,
Gentle by Nature
Info and Remembrance by Randolph Fillmore
I was rehearsing with the Tampa Community Concert Band and playing a medley of “Chicago” tunes. It got me to thinking about Doug Bull and his flawless rendition of the iconic trumpet solo on “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”
Later that night I received an email from Don Lehnhoff and Sam Towers with the news that Doug had died the day before, on April 12, 2022, after a battle with cancer.
I first met Doug in 1961 at Dunbarton Junior High in Towson. I played baritone horn back then, and Doug played first trumpet in the Dumbarton school band (directed by trombonist Carlton Wood). He played a solo on “Memories of You” that was incredible—he was probably 14 or 15 years old, and I thought he was the best trumpet player I had ever heard. I switched back to trumpet with the (never realized) goal of playing just like Doug Bull. My new idol.
Doug graduated from Towson High School in 1964.
I played trumpet with Doug in the 1969 Armstrong brothers version of the Majestics. Doug and Paul Cridler also played trumpet with the Majestics in the early 1970s. In the 1970s, Doug also played in the then Towson State “College” Jazz Ensemble, under Hank Levy — he was part of a stellar trumpet section with Paul Cridler and Gil Rathel.
Before and after his stint in the U.S. Army, Doug played with the Lafayettes, the Admirals, the Majestics (that’s Doug at the end of the line), and the Princetons. He taught music in Baltimore County for many years at Parkville Junior High, Loch Raven Senior High, and Hereford Senior High, before taking a position as head of music at Casper College in Casper, Wyoming in 2007.
Doug was always a helper. Always a teacher. Always a leader.
Always a trumpet player.
Douglas Bull Conducting “Imaginarium”
https://youtu.be/zT8jMlVOxvw
Postscript – Courtesy Casper College, Casper, Wyoming
Douglas Bull received a B.S. degree in Music Education and Trumpet Performance from Towson University in Maryland. Graduate work at Towson University, seminars, private study, and performances led to an Advanced Professional Certificate in 1979. He studied with Dominic DiGangi of the Baltimore Symphony, Raymond Moore, Donald Tyson, and Emerson Head.
In the late 1960s he was also solo/principle/lead trumpet with U.S. Army Bands in Europe. In the early 1970s he played with the Hank Levy Jazz Ensemble at Towson University.
While pursuing a professional performance career he played or recorded for: The Baltimore Symphony, Wyoming Symphony, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Streisand, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Rosemary Clooney, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Spinners, Phil Collins, The Ice Capades, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, musicals, original cast albums, five Presidential Inaugurations, movie soundtracks, and commercials, among many others.
For his work as a conductor in Musical Theater, he won multiple Critic’s Choice Awards for Best Musical Direction and Show of The Year. In addition, he taught in Baltimore County Schools for 21 years, generating over eighty music scholarships for his students. He eventually moved to Wyoming where he taught high school instrumental music generating another 75+ music scholarships.
In 2006 he accepted a position at Casper College. He was an Endorsing Artist for the New York Trumpet Company and continued to perform professionally, conducting clinics and guest soloing.