Historical evidence ·
Royal Entertainers
OHS and OKPOP identify the Royal Entertainers as Ernie Fields's early Tulsa ensemble after his 1924 Tuskegee graduation. The Oklahoma Eagle names David Duncan as a member and arranger in early 1928 and Harold Eiler as a tenor saxophonist. Later book and interview sources describe regional touring and performances at Cain's Ballroom and the Tulsa Club. These are retrospective accounts; exact engagement dates, the complete roster and the transition to the later Ernie Fields Orchestra remain unresolved. Taft is Fields's upbringing, not an established home base of this band.
- Community
- Tulsa
- Historical setting
- Oklahoma
- Ensemble
- African American Tulsa-resident territory dance orchestra / wind-brass-percussion ensemble; later big-band relationship unresolved
- Earliest reviewed evidence
- after 1924; late 1920s — exact formation date unresolved
- Later reviewed evidence
- late 1920s — exact Royal Entertainers endpoint unresolved
- People named in the sources
- Ernie Fields (leader; trombonist; pianist); David Duncan (member/arranger, early 1928); Harold Eiler (tenor saxophonist; exact entry date unresolved)
What remains uncertain
Predecessor/early identity of the later Ernie Fields Orchestra is strongly suggested by retrospective sources, but the exact transition and whether the names overlapped remain unresolved.
Medium-high for identity, Tulsa base, Fields leadership and wind/brass role from official OHS/OKPOP accounts plus reputable book/interview routes; medium for late-1920s chronology, wide touring and venue-performance traditions; low for exact formation/endpoint, full roster and dated event outcomes without item-level primary evidence.
Compare the separate record: Ernie Fields Orchestra. Similar names or places alone do not establish a shared identity.
Sources and access
- Oklahoma Historical Society — Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture — Fields, Ernie
- OKPOP Museum — Ernie Fields Collection — From the Vault
- The Oklahoma Eagle — Ernie Fields, Sr.: Jazz Icon, Trailblazer, Tulsa Loyalist
- University of Oklahoma Press — Going Back to T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band
- Public Radio Tulsa / University of Tulsa — Going Back to T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band
- Streetlight — How Tulsa band leader Ernie Fields pushed for opportunities for Black musicians
These additions use the reviewed source text, catalog descriptions or transcriptions. Additional images are linked at their repositories where available; they are not reproduced here unless an approved image is already displayed on this profile. A public catalog link does not itself establish permission to republish its image.
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