Bob McCracken

{{COI|date=June 2021}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Bob McCracken

| image =

| caption = McCracken in 1950

| birth_name = Robert Edward McCracken

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1904|11|23}}

| birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1972|7|4 |1904|11|23 |mf=yes}}

| death_place = North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| genre = Jazz, dixieland, swing, big band

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Clarinet

| years_active = 1920–1972

}}

Robert Edward McCracken (November 23, 1904 – July 4, 1972){{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=1556}} was an American jazz clarinetist.

He was born in Dallas, Texas, United States. Early in his career, McCracken played with local Dallas musicians, including Jack Teagarden, Eddie Whitley, the Southern Trumpeters, and {{ill|Doc Ross|de}}'s Jazz Bandits.

He lived in New York City from 1926–28, where he worked with Johnnie Johnston and Willard Robison's Levee Loungers. After returning to Dallas, he worked with Ligon Smith, Joe Gill, and Ross again, then toured with Joe Venuti and Frankie Trumbauer, before moving to Chicago in 1939. There he played with Bud Freeman (1939–40), Jimmy McPartland, Wingy Manone, Benny Goodman (1941), Russ Morgan, and Wayne King.

He substituted for Barney Bigard in the Louis Armstrong All-Stars international tour in 1952–53.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LBl8CgAAQBAJ&dq=robert+edward+mccracken.+died.+1972&pg=PT69|title=Louis Armstrong's All Stars|first=Mike|last=Forbes|date=13 August 2015|publisher=Lulu Press, Inc|isbn=9781326384999|access-date=27 September 2021|via=Google Books}} He then toured internationally with Kid Ory and Red Allen throughout the 1950s.

During his later years in Los Angeles, McCracken played in several Dixieland revival groups, working with Ben Pollack, Pete Daily, Wild Bill Davison, and again with Teagarden, Ory, and Allen. McCracken is on many recordings including Kid Ory's album, This Kid's the Greatest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-kids-the-greatest!-mw0000085829/credits|title=This Kid's the Greatest! - Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band | Credits |website=AllMusic|access-date=27 September 2021}}

Jeff McCracken is his grandchild.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}