McKinney's Cotton Pickers were formed shortly after World War I by drummer Bill McKinney. By the mid 1920s, McKinney had assumed the role of band manager and hired Cuba Austin to take over on drums. The arrival in 1927 of arranger Don Redman marked the band's most popular and musically impressive period, a time during which the group established a lasting blueprint for big-band performance. A host of brilliant muscians played with the band during this time, among them Fats Waller. In 1931, Redman left to form his own ensemble. It was a blow from which the band never fully recovered, despite the ascendence of Benny Carter to musical director. The band stopped making records around this time, and effectively disbanded shortly thereafter.