Celebrating the Birthday of Kid Ory

Influential early jazz trombonist, bandleader and composer Edward "Kid" Ory was born on December 25, 1886, on Woodland Plantation, near LaPlace, Louisiana. Ory started playing music with homemade instruments in his childhood, was leading a band by his teens, and moved his band to New Orleans when he was twenty-one.  Ory played banjo in his youth, which helped him develop a particular style of trombone playing called “tailgate”, with a rhythmic line underneath the cornets and trumpets. Ory was discovered by Buddy Bolden, and by the 1910s had one of New Orleans’ most well-known bands. He hired many of the City’s greatest jazz musicians including Joe “King” Oliver and Louis Armstrong. 

In 1919, he moved to Los Angeles, and in 1921 his band recorded a number of songs, including two instrumentals, “Ory’s Creole Trombone” and “Society Blues”, which were the first jazz recordings made on the West Coast by an African-American band from New Orleans. Ory paid the recording company Nordskog for the pressings and then sold them at Spikes Brothers Music Store in Los Angeles with his own label, "Kid Ory's Sunshine Orchestra". Ory moved to Chicago in 1925 where he worked and recorded with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Bessie Smith, and many others. He also mentored Benny Goodman and, later, Charles Mingus. Ory retired from music during the Great Depression, running a chicken farm in California during that period. But he returned to music in 1944, leading one of the premier New Orleans-style bands of the time. 

The Ory band helped to revive interest in New Orleans jazz, appearing on popular 1940s radio broadcasts, and in 1944–45 the group made a series of recordings for Crescent Records. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ory and his group appeared in Los Angeles, and in 1958 he played at 'On the levee' on the San Francisco waterfront. Ory retired from music in 1966 and spent his last years in Hawaii, where he passed away January 23, 1973. He led a remarkable life, which we celebrate today!

Celebrating the Birthday of Lee Dorsey

R&B, soul and funk singer-songwriter Irving Lee Dorsey was born in New Orleans on December 24, 1924, and his biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with instrumental backing provided by The Meters.

Dorsey was a childhood friend of Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy in World War II, and in the 1950s he boxed as a lightweight in Portland under the name “Kid Chocolate”. He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to New Orleans, where he opened an auto repair business, as well as singing in clubs at night. His first recording was in 1958, and his first hit came with “Ya Ya” in 1961, which went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over one million copies. His later releases were not successful, so Dorsey returned to running his repair business, but continued to release singles.

He was approached again by Allen Toussaint and recorded "Ride Your Pony", which reached number seven on the R&B chart in late 1965. He followed it up with "Working in the Coal Mine", his biggest hit, touring internationally, and also recording an album with Toussaint, The New Lee Dorsey in 1966. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on the album Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the US singles chart, after which he returned to his auto repair business. In 1976 Dorsey appeared on the album I Don't Want to Go Home by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings, including the album Night People. In 1980, he opened for  The Clash on their US concert tour, and also toured in support of James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Dorsey's songs have been covered by artists as diverse as the Pointer Sisters (“Yes We Can”) and Devo ("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was covered on John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album, and Robert Palmer had a hit with "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley". Dorsey’s version of the Allen Toussaint song "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys' song "Sure Shot", with the lyric "Everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey." Clearly, Lee Dorsey’s talent is timeless and his fans span across varied musical genres.

Sadly, Dorsey contracted emphysema and died on December 1, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61. His music has had a significant and enduring influence, and today, on his birthday, we remember Lee Dorsey and celebrate the joy he brought us by sharing his talent.

Celebrating the Birthday of Dave Bartholomew

David Louis Bartholomew was born on December 24, 1918, in Edgard, Louisiana. He was a musician, bandleader, composer, writer, arranger, and producer in many musical genres including Big Band, swing, R&B, rock and roll, New Orleans and Dixieland Jazz. Bartholomew is best known for his numerous successful collaborations with Fats Domino and other artists, as well as for his significant and influential role in the transition from swing and jump blues to rock and roll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and recognized for these achievements, being dubbed “one of the Crescent City’s greatest musicians.” New Orleans music legend Dave Bartholomew passed away on June 23, 2019, at the age of 100, but his music lives on. Today, on his birthday, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dave Bartholomew!

Photo by Klaus Hiltscher; SpinningSpark

Happy Birthday, Walter "Wolfman" Washington!

Guitarist and singer Walter "Wolfman" Washington was born in New Orleans on December 21, 1943, and played in Lee Dorsey’s band when he was in his teens. In the mid 1960s, Washington played clubs in New Orleans with his All Fools Band, and in the 1970s he joined Johnny Adams' band. He played with Adams for 20 years, both performing live and also appearing on his records. During this time he continued to work as a solo artist, and in the late 1970s formed his own band, the Roadmasters, and toured Europe with them. While his roots are in blues music, he blends in the essence of funk and R&B to create his own unique sound.

Washington released his first solo album Rainin' In My Life in 1981, and landed a contract with Rounder Records in the mid 1980s, releasing three albums with them. He also released an album from Virgin subsidiary Point Blank Records. In 2008, he released Doin' the Funky Thing, his first album in many years. Washington started playing regularly at the Maple Leaf Bar with two New Orleans musicians, pianist Joe Krown and drummer Russell Batiste, and in 2008 the trio released Live at the Maple Leaf, a live recording. In 2018 he released My Future Is My Past to much acclaim, proving that he continues to be a creative force in the New Orleans music scene. Today let’s celebrate this wonderful musician and wish him a very happy birthday!

Photo: Masahiro Sumori

Happy Birthday, Mem Shannon!

Blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Mem Shannon was born in New Orleans on December 21, 1959, and played both clarinet and guitar by the age of fifteen, due to being inspired by his father's collection of blues records. He started seriously practicing only after seeing B.B. King, and ultimately played in local bands for several years and enjoyed success locally. He took a job driving a cab and put his music career on hold in order to help his family pay bills after his father passed away in 1981.

In 1990 he began playing in local clubs again, and in the early 1990s, he formed a group called Mem Shannon and the Membership, who played at the 1991 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. His first album, A Cab Driver's Blues, was released on October 15, 1995, and featured snippets of actual conversations from his customers while in the cab. In April 1996, Shannon announced that he was giving up driving his cab in order to make playing music his full-time job. He toured extensively around the U.S., Europe, and Canada. Shannon was the first major new talent to come out of New Orleans in some time, and since thousands of foreigners visit New Orleans every spring for JazzFest, Shannon forged his reputation as an international touring musician easily. His music isn't stuck in a jump-shuffle mode. He takes a broader view, incorporating elements of funk, jazz, swamp rock, and classic rock into the Membership's blues-based sound. His song "S.U.V." (2002), won Living Blues magazine's Critics Poll Song of the Year, as well as receiving a Blues Music Award nomination for song of the year. Today let’s wish this New Orleans original a very happy birthday!

Photo: robbiesaurus - Flickr: Mem Shannon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23150424

Happy Birthday, Kermit Ruffins!

Jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer Kermit Ruffins was born in New Orleans on December 19, 1964. Strongly influenced by Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, Ruffins personifies the laid-back New Orleans vibe, performing New Orleans jazz standards and his own music. He co-founded the Rebirth Brass Band while he was still in high school, and they went on to revolutionize New Orleans brass bands and achieve great success and acclaim. After touring the world for about 10 years, Ruffins began to miss his hometown and decided to go solo. Over his career, he has put out over 15 albums, performed on the soundtrack to Disney’s Jungle Book, and played himself in the HBO series “Treme”. When he’s not at Kermit’s Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge, barbecuing outside or entertaining inside, or dazzling fans and friends at Kermit’s 9th Ward Juke Joint, he works to preserve and pass on the tradition of jazz. Wherever you may find him, he is always a passionate and tireless ambassador for the Crescent City. Happy Birthday, Kermit! All aboard!

Photo by: Derek Bridges New Orleans, LA - Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3920193