Wilford F. (Min) Leibrook was born in
Hamilton, Ohio on January 18, 1903. He began as a
cornetist before switching to
tuba and bass. In the 1920s he played in the
Ten Foot Band in
Chicago. Leibrook played in
The Wolverines in 1924 alongside
Bix Beiderbecke, where he made his first recordings, and later joined the band of
Arnold Johnson. In 1927 Leibrook moved to
New York City, where he played in the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra until 1931. During this time he began recording on
bass saxophone, mostly with small jazz groups from the Whiteman band under Beiderbecke and
Frankie Trumbauer. He worked later in the 1930s with
Lennie Hayton and
Eddie Duchin, mostly on string bass. In 1936 he played in the group The Three T's, with Trumbauer,
Jack Teagarden, and
Charlie Teagarden. By the late 1930s, Leibrook moved to
Los Angeles and worked as a bassist in Manny Strand’s Band at the Earl Carroll Theater. He never recorded as a leader. Leibrook died at age 40 as a result of
meningitis. He is buried in
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale. ==References==