[1] Born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma,[2] Crumbley was raised in Denver and Omaha, Nebraska.
He played with the George E. Lee Band, western swing pioneer Tommy Douglas, and Bill Owens.
But he continued to work with Hunter as well as players such as Jabbo Smith and Erskine Tate.
Crumbley founded his own ensemble in Omaha in 1934, and joined up with the Jimmie Lunceford Band the same year.
He toured Europe in the late 1950s with Sammy Price, a period when he also became part of the scene at the Apollo in Harlem with a lively combo led by Reuben Phillips.