In the March 2025 issue of The Syncopated Times, I wrote that Emmett Hardy, Leon Roppolo, and Lou Black honed their musical skills during the 1920 excursion season on the Streckfus steamer Capitol. Arnold Loyacano joined them over the winter in New Orleans. In late 1921, all four played in the Friar’s Society Orchestra in Chicago.
In this issue, I consider another vessel that presented a team of future Friar’s Society musicians. Paul Mares, Jack Pettis, George Brunies, and Johnny Provenzano played the entire 1921 summer season in St. Louis on the Streckfus steamer J. S.
The Friar’s Society Orchestra, of course, enjoyed considerable acclaim. With some adjustments to personnel, the band recorded as the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in 1922 and 1923, spreading influence and making jazz fame that last to this day.
Yet, the band’s riverboat roots have received little attention. When riverboat history is noted at all, the purpose seems merely to clear out biographical detail to make room for the main focus: the formation of that ground-breaking ensemble.
This article will add detail to the New Orleans Rhythm Kings’ riverboat roots. It will correct some mistaken accounts. Most importantly, the article will argue that the band would not have been the same band without those riverboat roots. The riverboat experience on the J. S. and the Capitol contributed directly to the success of t
