| Bill Rank | |
| Birth Name: | William C. Rank |
| Birth Place: | Lafayette, Indiana, US |
| Birth Date: | June 8, 1904 |
| Death Place: | Cincinnati, US |
| Death Date: | May 20, 1979 (aged 74) |
| Instrument: | Trombone |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Associated Acts: | Bix Beiderbecke, Jean Goldkette |
William C. Rank (June 8, 1904 – May 20, 1979)[1] was an American jazz trombonist.
Rank was born in Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and initially worked in Indiana and Florida.[2] In 1922, Rank played trombone in Tade's Singing Orchestra, which was led by violinist, Tade Dolen.[3] Between 1923 and 1927 he played with Jean Goldkette's band in Detroit and often recorded with Bix Beiderbecke. After playing with Adrian Rollini in 1927 and a period as a freelance, Rank joined Paul Whiteman's band, and stayed until 1938. He was then a studio musician in Hollywood into the early 1940s, when he moved to Cincinnati. There, he led a tenet for the rest of the 1940s.
Rank then changed to playing part-time while also working in insurance.[4] His one album as a leader, a tribute to Beiderbecke, was recorded in 1973. Rank continued playing until a short time before his death, on May 20, 1979, in Cincinnati.
With Bix Beiderbecke