Born on July 18, 1880, in Raleigh, North Carolina, Buddy Gilmore, who occasionally used the alternative spelling "Gilmour," began his musical journey early in the 20th century. In 1903, he was reported as a member of Sam Cousins' Colored Comedy, and by 1905, he was associated with Ernest Hogan's Memphis Students, although he was not listed as a member in September of that year (Badger 1995, 251 n.28). When he applied for a passport in 1919, he claimed he had never previously left the United States, suggesting he did not travel with the troupe to Europe as The Tennessee Students under Will Marion Cook's direction.
In 1906, Gilmore married Martha Brown, and in 1909, he formed a trio with her and Ethel "Kinky" Caldwell, which became known as the Buddy Gilmore Trio. This ensemble toured Canada in 1910. From December 29, 1913, to October 1, 1914, Gilmore recorded with Europe's Society Orchestra for Victor. By 1916, he was reported to be playing piano in Memphis. When he registered for the draft in September 1918, he was employed by Frank Barbura at the Lafayette Hotel in Long Beach, New York.
In early 1919, he performed with the New York Syncopated Orchestra, and by September of that year, he moved to Britain to join the Southern Syncopated Orchestra. During 1919, he played at Philharmonic Hall and the Coliseum in London, and he also toured Scotland and Liverpool with the orchestra from 1919 to 1920. Under contract to George Lattimore, he appeared with the Southern Syncopated Orchestra in Nottingham in April 1920 and at Kingsway Hall in London in July 1920. In August 1920, he announced his departure from the Southern Syncopated Orchestra.
Gilmore likely led the band at Ciro's Club in London from September 1920 through at least January 1921, and by April 1921, he was leading at Hammersmith Palais de Danse in London. He toured again with the Southern Syncopated Orchestra at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris in May 1921, after which he led a band at the Clover Club in Paris in June 1921. In September 1921, the Chicago Defender reported that he was forming a booking agency in New York City, although there is no evidence he returned to the U.S. at that time, as he was leading a band at Ostend Casino later that year.
In February 1922, he performed with the Southern Syncopated Orchestra at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées, and from May to October 1922, he was in Vienna. He was leading a band at the Alhambra Theatre in Brussels in January 1923. Gilmore applied for a new passport in Brussels in mid-May 1923 but was known to be in Paris by the end of the month. In May 1924, he led Gilmore's Ritz Orchestra in Paris, and in June 1924, he appeared with the International Five in the same city. He remained in Paris at least until December 1925, then performed in Berlin and the Netherlands in 1926 before traveling to Argentina and Brazil. He returned to New York City from Rio de Janeiro on the S.S. Western World, arriving on January 4, 1928.
By January 1929, he was entertaining American vacationers in Cuba. In 1930, he was residing in Jamaica, New York City. It is believed that he played drums during a December 1931 recording session with The Gilmore Sisters. Throughout the 1930s, Buddy and Mattie Gilmore participated in various society engagements and benefit concerts in New York. In 1937, he was scheduled to perform at a private reception for the Duke of Windsor, which was ultimately canceled. He was reported to have played eighteen command performances for the Duke during his time as Prince of Wales and Duke of Windsor. Still under George Lattimore's management, Gilmore is said to have recently returned from a tour in Europe and South America, though no other evidence of this trip has been found.
On December 28, 1938, he took part in a twelve-hour Bandfest Benefit in Brooklyn, New York City, described as "the most-famed of old-time drummers." He also appeared on an NBC "We, The People" broadcast in the early 1940s. Buddy Gilmore passed away in Jamaica, New York City, on December 6, 1944, following a prolonged illness.
