Red Hot Musicians

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

Dolly Kay (12 June 1900? – 26 August 1982) was a vaudeville and cabaret singer who started performing sometime around 1920 on the Orpheum curcuit

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

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

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

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

Fate Marable (December 2, 1890 – January 16, 1947) is a very important figure in the early history of Jazz. The bands he led on

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

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

Rosa Henderson (November 24, 1896 – April 6, 1968) got her start in show business working in carnivals. In 1918 she married Douglas “Slim” Henderson

Little is known about the biographical details of Bob Fuller’s life, but he was a very prolific sideman throughout the early and mid-1920s in the

Lucille Hegamin (November 29, 1894 – March 1, 1970) was the second African-American Blues singer to release a record in 1920, just few a months

Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Happy Hour Blues (1) (Lloyd Scott / Don Frye) 1-10-1927 New York, New York Victor unissued Happy Hour Blues (2) (Lloyd

Reedman Cecil Scott (November 22, 1905 – January 5, 1964) and his older brother Lloyd (born 8-21-1902), who played drums, came out of the relatively

In the autumn of 1965, I had the great pleasure of hearing by letter from the man who in the late 1920s was billed as

Frankie Trumbauer‘s (May 30, 1901 – June 11, 1956) accomplishments as a Jazz musician have been overshadowed by the role he played in Bix Beiderbecke’s career.

Drummer Abe Lyman, born Abraham Simon in Chicago (August 4, 1897 – October 23, 1957), led an orchestra that was successful at the Ambassador Hotel

Clarinetist Pee Wee Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969) is one of those unique players that comes along only once in a lifetime.

Nick La Rocca (April 11, 1889 – February 22, 1961) claimed to have invented Jazz and often complained that African-American musicians have been given too

Alcide Nuņez (March 17, 1884 – September 2, 1934) was an early White New Orleans jazz clarinetist. He played with Papa Jack Laine’s Reliance Brass Band,

Like most early Jazz musicians from New Orleans Ray Lopez got his start playing in street parades. Around 1906 he was playing in Papa Jack Laine’s Reliance

Coleman Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969) was the first great saxophonist of Jazz. As a child he was a gifted musician. In

Lee Morse (November 30, 1897 – December 16, 1954) was a very popular recording artist, songwriter and actress of the 1920s and early 1930s. She

Tommy Dorsey (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was Jimmy’s younger brother and the more temperamental of the two. He was generally blamed for the

Willie “The Lion” Smith (November 23, 1893 – April 18, 1973) was one of the fathers of the stride piano style. During the 1920s he

Beulah “Sippie” Thomas (November 1, 1898 – November 1, 1986) grew up in Houston, Texas where she sang and played the piano in her father’s

Eddie Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was one of the gang of young white Chicago jazz musicians in the 1920s. He started

Although he was a decent clarinetist and saxophonist, Mezz Mezzrow (November 9, 1899 – August 5, 1972) is remembered today primarily for his autobiography “Really

Erskine Tate (January 14, 1895-December 17, 1978, the original RHJ Archive had the dates wrong) was a violinist and leader of a band that played

Harry Reser (January 17, 1896 – September 27, 1965) was perhaps the greatest banjoist of the 1920s if not the greatest banjoist of all time.

Wilbur Sweatman’s (February 7, 1882 – March 9, 1961) musical career reads like the history of African-Americans in popular music. He got his professional start

Pianist and bandleader, Bennie Moten (November 13, 1894 – April 2, 1935) helped to establish what is called the Kansas City Jazz style. In 1922

Pianist Frank Signorelli (May 24, 1901 – December 9, 1975) started the band the Original Memphis Five with Phil Napoleon in 1917. It was one of the most

Joe Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was the first great violinist of Jazz. The music he made with Eddie Lang would later be

Arthur Schutt (November 21, 1902 – January 28, 1965) began his professional music career in 1915, accompanying silent movies on the piano. In 1918 he

Jimmy Yancey was a native of Chicago and learned to play piano from his elder brother, Alonzo, who was a Ragtime picker. Yancey’s father was

Joe Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 10, 1938) is one of the most important figures in early Jazz. (The 1881 birthdate is taken from

Edmonia Henderson (c. 1898 or 1900 – February 17, 1947) was an American classic female blues singer. She was active as a recording artist in the

Victoria Spivey  (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976) got her start in music at age twelve when she began playing piano in a movie

Carl Kress, along with Eddie Lang, can be considered THE founding father of jazz guitar. While Lang pioneered the use of single-string horn inspired lines,

Pianist and band leader Alphonso Trent was born October 24, 1905 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He led one of the most influential territory bands operating

Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was one of the most popular African-American singers and actresses of the 1920s. She moved to

Blues singer Edna Hicks (October 14, 1891 or 1895 – August 16, 1925) was born in New Orleans and was the half-sister of Lizzie Miles and

Jelly Roll Morton (September 20, c. 1890 – July 10, 1941) was the first great composer and piano player of Jazz. He was a talented

Lee Collins (October 17, 1901 – July 3, 1960) got his start on the trumpet playing with brass bands in New Orleans as a teenager.

Jean Goldkette  (March 18, 1893 – March 24, 1962) emigrated from France to the United States in 1911. He was a classical piano player. Jean

Annette Hanshaw (October 18, 1901 – March 13, 1985) was a popular singer and radio star of the 1920s and early Thirties who had many

The older of the two Dorsey brothers Jimmy Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was a child prodigy who began his musical career

Cornet player Muggsy Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was a member of the famed Austin High Gang and fell for jazz the minute

Phil Napoleon (2 September 1901 – 1 October 1990) was a classically trained trumpet player, but he turned his back the concert hall and formed

Miff Mole (March 11, 1898 – April 29, 1961) started his musical career playing violin and accompanying silent pictures on the piano, but later he

George Lewis (July 13, 1900 – December 31, 1968) was one of the Jazz musicians who didn’t leave New Orleans in the 1920s. He stayed

Jelly Roll Morton had a hit with his 1923 version of Wolverine Blues. This stirred interest with the the Victor company who were just starting to get

Johnny Dodds (April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was one of the greatest clarinetist of the 1920’s. Although both Jimmie Noone and Sidney Bechet had better technique,

Baby Dodds (December 24, 1898 – February 14, 1959) was one of first great drummers of Jazz and the brother of Johnny Dodds. Baby got

In 1910 Honore Dutrey (c. 1894 in New Orleans, Louisiana – July 21, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois) started playing trombone in various bands in New Orleans, including Jimmie Noone’s outfit.

Bud Scott (January 11, 1890 – July 2, 1949) was a multi-instrumentalist who could play the banjo, six-string guitar and violin, and at one point

Fess Williams led bands in both Chicago and New York in the 1920s and early 1930s. He seemed to model himself after Ted Lewis wearing a top

Keyboard player and arranger Tiny Parham (February 25, 1900 – April 4, 1943) was born in Canada, but grew up in Kansas City. He got

Johnny St. Cyr (April 17, 1890 – June 17, 1966) played banjo and guitar, and was a true jazz pioneer. St. Cyr had his own

Beatrice C. “Bee” Palmer (11 September 1894 – 22 December 1967) was born in Chicago, the third of four children born to Charles and Anna

This band, whose entire output is included here, is surely one of the most remarkable in the history of Jazz and dance music, for it

Until recently, next to nothing was known about Thelma Terry (September 30, 1901 – May 30, 1966): she played string bass in Chicago in the

Edith Wilson (September 2, 1896 – March 31, 1981) was one of the stars of early African-American musical theatre. After working in vaudeville with her

One of the first important bassists of Jazz, Foster was playing in bands around New Orleans as early as 1906. He played tuba with Fate Marable’s group

Yes, Virginia, there was a Jabbo Smith! Jabbo had a short but exceedingly important recording career in the late 1920’s when he became the first

George Mitchell, (March 8, 1899– May 22, 1972) the gifted hard-driving cornet player on Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers recording sessions, deserves wider recognition and

Pianist Frank Melrose (November 26, 1907 – September 1, 1941) was the younger brother of music publishers and agents Walter and Lester Melrose, who ran

Richard Myknee Jones (13 June 1892 – 8 December 1945) was from a musical family in New Orleans and played a variety of instruments before

Frankie “Half Pint” Jaxon (March 3, 1896 or 1897 – May 15, 1953) was a vaudeville singer, comedian and female impersonator. His nickname of “Half

Jimmie Noone is considered one of the best clarinetists of the Twenties. His style differs from the other two great New Orleans clarinet players, Johnny

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas in April 1906, Alex Hill (April 22, 1906 – February 1937), the eldest son of an African Episcopalian minister and

Omer Simeon (July 21, 1902 – September 17, 1959) and his family moved from New Orleans to Chicago in 1914 and like so many other great

Earl Hines has been called the first modern jazz pianist. His style differed from other pianists of the Twenties in his use of what were

Zutty Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was one of the most influential drummers of early Jazz. He popularized the use of brushes

Unlike most early Jazz musicians who called themselves Doc or Professor, Charles L. Cooke (September 3, 1891 – December 25, 1958), really had a doctorate