People, Locations, Episodes

Ben Webster, Saxophonist born

*On this date in 1909, Ben Webster was born. He was an African- merican jazz arranger who played tenor saxophone and piano.

Lionel Hampton, Bandleader born

On this date in 1909, Lionel Hampton was born. He was an African American musician and composer. He was one of the first jazz vibraphonist and was a jazz giants since mid 1930.

From Louisville, Kentucky, Hampton was raised in Chicago.

Joe Thomas, Musician born

Joe Thomas, an African American musician, was born on this date in 1909.

Born in Uniontown, PA, he began his professional career in 1930 playing the alto saxophone with Horace Henderson. After a year, he changed to the tenor saxophone, the instrument with which he became famous after joining Stuff Smith in 1932. Jimmie Lunceford heard him play in Buffalo, N.Y., and asked Thomas to join his group. Thomas settled into the Lunceford band until Jimmie’s death in 1947.

Stuff Smith, Violinist born

*On this date in 1909, Stuff Smith was born. He was an African American jazz violinist.

The ‘Prez,’ Lester Young, Musician born

On this date in 1909, African American jazz saxophonist Lester Young was born.

Art Tatum, Jazz Pianist born

Art Tatum, an African American pianist, and one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, was born on this date in 1909, in Toledo, OH.

Tatum was blind in one eye and visually impaired in the other. A child prodigy with perfect pitch, Tatum learned to play by ear, picking out church hymns by the age of three, learning tunes from the radio, and copying piano-roll recordings his mother owned. He developed an incredibly fast playing style, without losing accuracy.

“Cozy” Cole, Jazz Drummer born

On this date in 1909, African American jazz drummer William Randolph “Cozy” Cole was born in East Orange, New Jersey.

The Clef Club, (NYC) Opens

*On November 10, 1909, we celebrate the Clef Club of New York City, Inc., founded in New York by James Reese Europe and his associates.   They were a fraternal and professional organization for the advancement of black musicians and entertainers.  The Clef Club was a popular entertainment venue and society in Harlem, achieving its largest success in the 1910s. Incorporated […]

Ida Goodson, Musician, and Singer born

*Ida Goodson was born on this date in 1909. She was a Black classic female blues and jazz singer and pianist. Ida Goodson was born in Pensacola, Florida, the youngest of seven sisters, six surviving to adulthood. Her father and mother both played the piano. Her father was a deacon at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola. All the […]

Sidney Catlett, Musician born

*Sidney Catlett was born on this date in 1910.  He was a Black jazz drummer.  Sidney “Big Sid” Catlett was born in Evansville, Indiana. At an early age, he was instructed in the rudiments of piano and drums under the tutelage of a music teacher hired by his mother. When he and his family relocated to Chicago, Catlett received his first drum kit […]

Ermine Hall Allen, Vocalist born

*Ermine Hall Allen was born on this date in 1910.  She was a Black classical vocalist and educator. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota’s Rondo community, she was the youngest of two daughters to S.Edward. and Harriet ‘Hattie’ Grissom Hall.  Her older sister Dorothy was a music teacher.  Ermine’s first performances were impromptu affairs. At age […]

Harry Carney, Musician born

On this date in 1910, Harry Carney was born. He was an African American jazz musician.

When one thinks of the sound of the Duke Ellington band, one recalls the sweet alto saxophone tone of Johnny Hodges, the growling plunger mute trumpet sound of Cootie Williams and the deep, thick, licorice quality of Harry Carney’s baritone sax. For 45 years, Carney was the low voice in the Ellington orchestra and, perhaps, the greatest baritone player of all time.

Mary Lou Williams, Pianist, and Composer born

This date in 1910 marks the birth of Mary Lou Williams, an African American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist.

T-Bone Walker, Musician, and Songwriter born

T-Bone Walker was born on this date in 1910. He was an African American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the most influential musicians of the early 20th century.

Howlin Wolf, Blues Singer born

This date marks the birth of Howlin’ Wolf in 1910. He was an African American blues singer and composer.

Chester Arthur “Howlin’ Wolf” Burnett was from West Point, Mississippi. He was brought up on a cotton plantation and heard the traditional music of the region. He started singing professionally when quite young and in the 1920s and 1930s, performed throughout Mississippi, playing in small clubs. He was influenced by the music of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Charley Patton.