
Curtis Mosby’s Blue Blowers
Curtis Mosby was a drummer, promoter, bandleader and club owner in California in the 1920s through 1940s. He was leading his own band in Oakland,
Redhotjazz.com was a crown jewel of the early internet. Starting in the mid ’90s it made the offline discographies and biographies of early jazz available to the online public. It also hosted thousands of audio files donated by people who were digitizing their 78 RPM record collections, making many obscure recordings available for the first time. This all started long before Youtube and even before Wikipedia was much more than an idea.
We are duplicating the content of the Red Hot Jazz Archive from a snapshot saved in Archive.org’s Wayback Machine. Keeping with both the original intent and mission of Redhotjazz.org everything will be publicly available outside of our paywall. For ease of use we are improving each entry to meet the norms of the phone friendly modern internet.
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Curtis Mosby was a drummer, promoter, bandleader and club owner in California in the 1920s through 1940s. He was leading his own band in Oakland,
This group was also known as the Buffalodians. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company I Never Knew How Much I Loved You 3-1925 Buffalo, New
In the 1920s, the top African-American band in Buffalo, NY was the Blue Ribbon Syncopators. They recorded in their hometown for Okeh Records in 1925,
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Bugle Call Rag (Elmer Schoebel / Jack Pettis / Meyers) 8-1-1923 Los Angeles, California Golden B-1865 No No Nora
The Clicquot Club Eskimos was a banjo orchestra under the direction of Harry Reser. The band was quite well known because of its nationwide weekly half-hour
Although Irving Mills is remembered mostly as a music publisher and for being the manager of the Duke Ellington Orchestra he was also a singer and songwriter. Mills contributed vocals to
Here is a nice little recording that was never released and existed only as a test pressing. “Everything Is Hotsy Totsy Now” was a very
Irving Mills was a music publisher and owner of Mills Music with his brother Jack. He also was a singer, songwriter, A&R; man and manager of
Clarence “Pine Top” Smith (June 11, 1904 – March 15, 1929) was one of the earliest pianists to recorded a boogie-woogie” piano solo. His 1928
Lucille Bogan’s recording career came to an end in 1935 and she eventually returned to Birmingham where she reverted to her real name and performed
Dolly Kay (12 June 1900? – 26 August 1982) was a vaudeville and cabaret singer who started performing sometime around 1920 on the Orpheum curcuit
Frank Guarentesīs World Known Georgians were playing in Switzerland during the months of March through November of 1926. These Records where only released in Switzerland
The Georgians The Georgians were a subset of the Phil Specht Orchestra. Specht had a gig at the Hotel Alamac in New York City in
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Um-Ta-Da-Da-Da (McPhail) 6-28-1927 St. Paul, Minnesota Black Patti 8038 Artist Instrument Bob Butler Vocals Doc Cheatham? Cornet Tiny Parham?
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Alexander, Where’s That Band? (Tiny Parham) 12-1926 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12441-A Mojo Strut (Tiny Parham) 12-1926 Chicago, Illinois Paramount
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Loveless Love (Handy / Koenig / Williams) 4-1927 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12483 Oh Daddy (William Russell / Ed Herbert)
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Mister Man (Part 1) (Charlie Jackson / Clarence Williams) 4-1925 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12275-A Mister Man (Part 2) (Charlie Jackson / Clarence Williams)
A special thanks to James Gallup for his help with the recordings on this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company A Little Bit Closer
Tiny Parham is a vastly underrated Chicago bandleader of the 1920s. He cut 38 sides for Victor between 1928 to 1930 under the name of Tiny
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues (Ma Rainey / Thomas A. Dorsey) 6-1928 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12687-A Deep Moaning Blues (Ma
Lovie Austin and her Blues Serenaders accompanied dozens of Blues singers in the 1920s, but none as famous as the “Mother of the Blues”, Ma Rainey. Tommy Ladnier contributes
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Chicago Mess Around (Lovie Austin) 8-1926 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12380-B Paramount 14030-B Don’t Shake It No More (Thomas A.
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Charleston Mad Vocal Chorus – Priscilla Stewart (Lovie Austin) 4-1924 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12278 2094-1 Charleston Mad Vocal Chorus
Paramount advertised this beautiful record as a new, sensational and different souvenir record claiming it was first record to feature a picture of artist on
Ma Rainey and Papa Charlie Jackson teamed up for this record in 1928. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Big Feeling Blues (Ma Rainey / Davis) 10-1928 Chicago, Illinois
When it comes to the discussion of blues and jazz throughout the early part of the twentieth century, there are bound to be crossovers, musicians
These sessions feature the great Ma Rainey accompanied by many of the best African-American jazz musicians of the 1920s. All of the New York sessions feature members
Thanks to Ted Weir for his help with this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Aunt Hagar’s Children Blues (W.C. Handy) 6-1922 New York,
Flecther Henderson and his Orchestra played at the Club Alabam on West 44th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York for about six
Tim Brymn and his Black Devil Orchestra were an all African-American 70 piece musical unit that represented the 350th Field Artillery Regiment during World War
This multimedia presentation of the music of Lt. James Reese Europe was made possible by the permission and cooperation of the following parties: Written by Tim
These were some of the first records issued by Black Swan. “Blind Man Blues” and “Sing ‘Em For Mamma, Play ‘Em For Me” is the first
In the first quarter of the 20th century (1900–1925), the great migration of the African-American people took shape. They left their rural, country, backwoods habitats
The Dixie Stompers was a pseudonym for the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. Thanks to Bob Palmer for his help with this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location
Some of these titles were also released as by the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. Also See: Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952), and Fletcher Henderson: Profiles in Jazz. Title Recording
The Seven Brown Babies was a pseudonym for the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. They recorded four sides four sides in October 1923 that were all released on
Fletcher Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) led the most commercially successful of the African-American Jazz bands of the 1920s. The smooth sound
Art Hickman and his Orchestra started out at the St. Francis Hotel (335 Powell Street) in San Francisco in 1913. In those early years of Jazz
San Francisco bandleader Art Hickman was enjoying considerable success in New York with his Art Hickman Orchestra in 1921 when he was offered an engagement in
Other recordings by this band were released under the name of Herb Wiedoeft’s Cinderella Roof Orchestra and Herb Wiedoeft’s and his Orchestra. Title Recording Date Recording Location
When Herb Wiedoeft died in a automobile accident in 1928 the Herb Wiedoeft Orchestra became know as the Jessie Stafford Orchestra when Jessie Stafford the band’s trombonist
Other recordings by this band were released under the name of Herb Wiedoeft’s Cinderella Roof Orchestra and Herb Wiedoeft’s Famous Orchestra. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Ella
Herb Wiedoeft (22 November 1886 – 12 May 1928) was the brother of saxophonist Rudy Wiedoeft and a pioneering Los Angeles Jazz band leader. The
This is a later group featuring Ernest Borbee of the Borbee’s Jazz Orchestra that recorded in 1917. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Down Among
Led by pianist Ernest Borbee, this was among the earliest recording ensembles characterized as a “jass” group, the third after an Original Dixieland Jass Band disc
These records by Wilbur Sweatman were made only about a month after the Original Dixieland Jass Band made what is generally considered to be the first Jazz record on
This group was also known as The Carnival Three. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Creole Lullaby (Peephole Blues) (Omer Simeon / James P. Johnson) 2-22-1945 New
Thanks to Bob Palmer and Owen Miller for their help with this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Ballin’ The Jack (Chris Smith /
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Blues Galore Vocal Chorus by O’Neil Spencer (Richard M. Jones) 1-21-1938 Chicago, Illinois Decca 7413 B Brunswick 03205-A Melancholy
The Johnny Dodds’ Black Bottom Stompers sessions of April of 1927 are very similar to the classic Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven sessions of the same year.
Junie Cobb could play many instruments, but was best on reed instruments and piano. He began as pianist in Johnny Dunn’s Band as a teenager , then
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Easy Come Easy Go Blues (Roy Bergere) 5-28-1927 Chicago, Illinois Vocalion 1100 47th Street Stomp (1) (Jimmy Blythe) 9-16-1926
Thanks to Owen Miller for his help with this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Banjoreno (Clifford Hayes) 12-10-1926 Chicago, Illinois Victor 21473-A Boodle-Am
Taking their name from a show written by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, a small group led by Don Redman recorded in the late ’20s as the
The October 3rd session was released under the name of Deppe’s Serenaders. The November 6th session was released just under Lois Deppe’s name. Both sessions
George E. Lee led this popular band that was headquartered in Kansas City during the 1920s and early 1930s. Of the Kansas City bands only
Julia Lee (October 31, 1902 – December 8, 1958) re-recorded Won’t You Come Over To My House and released it as “Come On Over to My House
Unfortunately, this was the only record that Fate Marable made, and our only opportunity to hear what this important band really sounded like. Fate Marable conducted bands on the Strekfus
Fate Marable (December 2, 1890 – January 16, 1947) is a very important figure in the early history of Jazz. The bands he led on
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company What If I Do ? (Clarence Williams / Johnson) 12-6-1929 New York, New York Columbia 2087-D Wipe ‘Em Off (Clarence
The Original Memphis Five was founded in 1917 by Phil Napoleon and Frank Signorelli after playing in dance bands together at Coney Island in New York. They were one
The Hotel St. Regis was located at East 55th Street at the corner of Fifth Ave. in New York City. Also See: Lopez and Hamilton’s
Also See: Lopez and Hamilton’s Kings of Harmony Orchestra (1920) Vincent Lopez and His Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra (1922-1924) Vincent Lopez and his Orchestra (1921-1961) Vincent
Hotel Pennsylvania was located at 7th Ave. between 32nd to 33rd Streets in New York City opposite the old Penn Station. The building still stands
One does not normally associate Vincent Lopez with Jazz, but at the outset of his career, he co-led with clarinetist Billy Hamilton a successful five-piece
John Sylvester and his Orchestra was another name for the Original Indiana Five. Some of the Gennett recordings were released under the name of John Sylvester
These titles are some of the most authentic White Jazz of the early twenties to be heard, and may be regarded as the avante garde
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company My Gal (Walter Melrose) 5-1925 Chicago, Illinois Autograph 623 Wolverine Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) 5-1925 Chicago, Illinois Autograph 623
Marion Hardy and his Alabamians were originally formed in Chicago, Illinois in the late 1920s. Cab Calloway fronted this band in 1929 at the Savoy
Jean Goldkette booked this orchestra under the direction of Owen A. Barlett at the Book-Cadillac Hotel. The hotel is still located at the corner of
Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra, reflected the band’s engagement at Chicago’s famous dance palace, Fred Mann’s Rainbo Gardens which was located at the intersection of North
Ford Dabney (15 March 1883 – 21 June 1958), best-known as the composer of the evergreen ‘Shine’, led an interesting career. He owned a theatre
The Jean Goldkette Orchestra featured some of the best White Jazz musicians of the 1920s. According to almost all that saw them when they played live
Billy Murray (May 25, 1877 – August 17, 1954) , known in his heyday as “The Denver Nightingale,” was one of America’s best-selling recording artists
Some of these recordings appeared under the names The New Orleans Lucky Seven, or Bix Beiderbecke‘s Lucky Seven. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company At
In 1929, after suffering a nervous breakdown Bix Beiderbecke went back to his hometown of Davenport, Iowa to recover at his parents home. He returned to New