Henry Crowder (1890–1955) was an American jazz musician. He was an important figure in the European jazz culture of his time. Crowder was born in Gainesville, Georgia, to a poor family and was largely a self-taught musician. Crowder began his career playing piano in the brothels of Washington, D.C. and rose to become an important bandleader here before leaving for Europe in 1928. By Crowder’s own account, musician Sidney Bechet was deported from France after an argument with a member of Crowder’s group turned violent and several bystanders were shot.