Frankie Dusen Jr. became the trombonist in Buddy Bolden‘s band in 1906 and took over the group after Bolden went insane in 1907. He re-named the group the Eagle Band after
Buddy Bolden (September 6, 1877 – November 4, 1931) is generally considered to be the first bandleader to play the improvised music which later became
Hardcore might be the best way to describe the Blues singing of Lucille Bogan (April 1, 1897 – August 10, 1948). While many of the
Irving Mills (January 16, 1894 – April 21, 1985) was born in New York City, in the Jewish ghetto on the East Side in 1894
Gertrude Pridgett was born into a showbiz family that performed in minstrel shows. She first appeared onstage in 1900, singing and dancing in minstrel and
Multi-instrumentalist Peter Bocage (31 July 1887 – 3 December 1967) was one of the great trumpeters in New Orleans history and ironically did not consider
In 1915 Jimmy Blythe (May 20, 1901 – June 14, 1931) moved from his native Kentucky to Chicago. He was an accomplished musician and composer
Banjoist and guitarist Jack Bland (May 8, 1899 – August 1968) is best remembered as the banjoist for the Mound City Blue Blowers which he co-founded
Blues singer Esther Bigeou (c.1892 – November 15, 1936) was a cousin of drummer Paul Barbarin which made her part of one of the most musical
Bubber Miley (April 3, 1903 – May 20, 1932) was the master of the plunger mute. His growling, drunken wah-wah sounding trumpet playing was largely
Percussionist and xylophonist Jimmy Bertrand (24 February 1900 – August 1960) moved to Chicago in 1913 and played in the State Theatre Orchestra before joining
The word child prodigy doesn’t even begin to describe Vic Berton (May 7, 1896 – December 26, 1951) who was playing drums in a Milwaukee
Paul Whiteman‘s Orchestra was the most popular band of the 1920s. They are also the most controversial to Jazz historians because Whiteman (March 28, 1890
Elmer Snowden (October 9, 1900 – May 14, 1973) contributed greatly to jazz in its earlier days as both a player and a bandleader, and
Don Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) is one of the first great jazz arrangers and was a pivotal figure in the development
Eddie Lang was the first Jazz guitar virtuoso. A boyhood friend of Joe Venuti, Lang took violin lessons for 11 years but switched to guitar
Clarinetist Ted Lewis was born in Circleville, Ohio in 1890 and was playing leading bands in Ohio as early as 1910. Ted formed a musical
Red was the leader of the Mound City Blue Blowers, in which he played comb, kazoo, and sang. Later, he went on to play with
Duke Ellington brought a level of style and sophistication to Jazz that it hadn’t seen before. Although he was a gifted piano player, his orchestra
Bessie Smith was a rough, crude, violent woman. She was also the greatest of the classic Blues singers of the 1920s. Bessie started out as
Bix Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was one of the great jazz musicians of the 1920’s; he was also a child of
As a young man in New Orleans, Barney Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) took clarinet lessons with Lorenzo Tio Jr. and Papa
Sidney Bechet was a child prodigy in New Orleans. He was such good clarinet player that, in his youth he was featured by some of
Guitarist and banjoist Danny Barker, a nephew of drummer Paul Barbarin, discovered his interest in music at an early age and was soon taking clarinet
