Cornetist Charles Joseph “Buddy” Bolden was born in New Orleans on September 6, 1877, was one of the founding fathers of jazz. Many jazz musicians, including Jelly Roll Morton and the great trumpeter Louis Armstrong, acclaimed him as one of the most powerful musicians ever to play jazz. Little is known about the details of Bolden’s career, but it is documented that by about 1895 he was leading a band. Acknowledged as the cornet king of New Orleans, Bolden often worked with six or seven different bands simultaneously. In 1906 his emotional stability began to crumble, and the following year he was committed to the East Louisiana State Hospital, where he died on November 4, 1931. Today we remember, celebrate and appreciate Buddy Bolden’s musical legacy!