Red Hot Musicians

DePriest E. B. Wheeler (March 1, 1903 – April 10, 1998), born in Kansas City, Missouri, was the eldest son of Rev. William Henry Wheeler,

Bertha “Chippie” Hill (March 15, 1905 – May 7, 1950) was a dancer and vaudeville singer. At the age of thirteen she and her family

Virginia Liston (c. 1890 – June 1932) would most likely be barely remembered today if she had not sung on a Clarence Williams Blue Five record

Very little is known about the life of Margaret Johnson. She was very active on the vaudeville circuit in the early 1920s and is known

Clarence Williams (October 6, 1898 or October 8, 1893 – November 6, 1965) was both an artist and an entrepreneur. Highly energetic and adept at

Little is known about Clara Smith’s (March 13, 1894 – February 2, 1935) early life other that that she was from Spartanburg, South Carolina. She

Trixie Smith was born in Atlanta, Georgia and is reported to have studied at Selma University in Alabama. Sometime around 1915 she moved north to

Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was the son of a preacher and learned to play the organ in church with his

As a boy, James P. Johnson studied Classical music and Ragtime. He started playing professionally in a sporting house, and then progressed to rent parties,

Bunk Johnson (December 27, 1879 or 1889 – July 7, 1949) confused Jazz historians for years by lying about almost everything, but nevertheless he was

Luis Russell (August 5, 1902 – December 11, 1963) was a native of Panama, but after winning $3000 in a lottery in 1919, he moved

Hociel Thomas (July 10, 1904 – August 22, 1952) was the daughter of pioneering blues and boogie woogie pianist George W. Thomas Jr., and the

Katherine Henderson was born St. Louis, Missouri on June 23, 1909. She got her start in show business as a small child working in minstrel

Eva Taylor (January 22, 1895 — October 31, 1977) was a talented entertainer and Blues singer and was one of the first African-American singers to

Sara Martin (June 18, 1884 – May 24, 1955) began her career as a vaudeville singer around 1915 in Illinois. In 1922 she was signed

Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 – October 26, 1952)  is best remembered today for her role in the film Gone With The Wind. She won

Lizzie Miles (March 31, 1895 – March 17, 1963) was born on Bourbon Street and she was singing with the New Orleans Jazz bands of King

As a teenager in Chicago Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973)was studying drums when he discovered a group of young white jazz

Originally a violinist, Ben Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980) probably made more records than any other bandleader of the 78 rpm era,

Ida Cox (February 26, 1888 or 1896 – November 10, 1967) sang in church choirs as a child in Georgia. She ran away from home

Eddie Peabody (February 19, 1902 – November 7, 1970), the “King of the banjo”, was not only a superb banjoist but also a great showman

Blues singer Mary Johnson (March 29, 1898 or 1900 – July 20, 1983) got her start in show business as a teenager in St. Louis.

Lonnie Johnson (February 8, 1899 – June 16, 1970)was a pioneering Blues and Jazz guitarist and banjoist. He started playing in cafes in New Orleans

Wingy Manone (February 13, 1900 – July 9, 1982) was a New Orleans trumpet player and vocalist who lost his right arm in a streetcar

At age twelve Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) ran away from her hometown of Memphis to go to Chicago to become

Before Jimmy Durante (February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) became one of the most famous and lovable entertainers of the Twentieth Century, he was

Jasper Taylor (January 1, 1894-November 7, 1964) was an early Jazz percussionist. He left his home Texas as a teenager in 1912 playing drums with

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

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 (February 20, 1894, 1895,or 1901 – September 17, 1951) was a native of Chicago and learned to play piano from his elder brother,

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 (October 20, 1907 – June 10, 1965), along with Eddie Lang, can be considered THE founding father of jazz guitar. While Lang pioneered

Pianist and band leader Alphonso Trent was born October 24, 1902 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. (A death certificate and draft card correct many sources which

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 (October 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. [Brief synopsis of possible years of birth.]

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