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Learn about King Oliver, a pioneer of jazz and Dixieland music, who taught Louis Armstrong and influenced many other musicians. Find out his biography, discography, and legacy in this comprehensive article.
Learn about King Oliver, a vital link between the prehistory and history of jazz, who mentored Louis Armstrong. Find out his biography, achievements, and challenges in this article by Britannica editors.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 16, 2007 · Learn about the life and legacy of Joseph “King” Oliver, a pioneer of jazz trumpet and a key figure in the first period of jazz history. He mentored Louis Armstrong, popularized the Harmon mute, and led influential bands in Chicago and New York.
- Became Musical Star in New Orleans
- Started Own Band in Chicago
- Recorded with His Creole Jazz Band
- Split from Armstrong, Ended Recording Career
- Ended Life in Poverty
- Selected Works
- Sources
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Oliver played in a number of marching bands and, around 1910, started appearing in the nightclubs of New Orleans’ red-light district, Storyville, the vibrant heart of the city’s musical life. These early years of jazz saw intense competition in the raucous neighborhood’s numerous clubs, cabarets and gambling den. As a performer at the Abadie Cabare...
Oliver arrived in Chicago in early 1918, responding to invitations from two bands, Lawrence Duhe’s Band at the prestigious Dreamland Café, and Bill Johnson’s at the Royal Gardens. In January of 1920 Oliver formed his own band: the initial line-up included pianist Lil Hardin, Louis Armstrong’s future wife. They played at the Dreamland Café every nig...
Oliver was slow to embrace the relatively new industry of recorded music. It offered little financial reward for musicians, and the finished product rarely captured the live energy or improvisational fire of its featured performers, because primitive technology meant each song had to be curtailed. On the bandstand, Oliver was wary of the possibilit...
The Gennett recording sessions helped build the band’s profile, and soon they were recording for rival ‘race records’ label, OKeh, as well as Paramount and Columbia. But internal dissent over Oliver’s paternalistic handling of salaries saw the ensemble splinter. Lil Hardin convinced Armstrong that his mentor was holding him back. In a 1950 intervie...
Touring in the depressed South was not an easy way to make money, and Oliver suffered a number of setbacks, missing gigs whenever his moribund tour vehicles broke down. By 1935 Oliver had lost all his teeth and found it difficult to perform. He kept touring with a third-rate band, many of whom mutinied over low pay, avoiding the big cities where he...
Recordings
(With King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band) “Chimes Blues,”Gennett, 1923. (With King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band) “Dipper Mouth Blues,”Gennett, 1923. (With King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band) “Chattanooga Stomp,”Columbia, 1923. (With King Oliver’s Jazz Band) “Sweet Baby Doll,”OKeh, 1923. (With King Oliver’s Jazz Band) “The Southern Stomps,”Paramount, 1923. (With King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopators) “Doctor Jazz,”Vocalion/Brusnwick, 1926. (With King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopators) “Snag It,”Vocalion/B...
Books
Allen, Walter C., and Brian A.L. Rust, King Joe Oliver, Sidgwick and Jackson, 1958, pp. 2-3, 6-10, 28-29, 40-42, 63. Bergreen, Laurence, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life, BroadwayBooks, 1997, pp. 105, 106, 121, 176, 203, 210, 213, 232-234, 261, 388-392. Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 1-2: To 1940, American Council of Learned Societies, 1944-1958. Giddons, Gary, Visions of Jazz: the First Century, Oxford UniversityPress, 1998, pp. 77-83. Gioia, Ted, The History of Jazz, Oxfor...
On-line
“After a life at the top of the jazz world, Joe ‘King’ Oliver lived his last year scraping by in Savannah,” Savannah Now, www.savannahnow.com/features/jazz/ (August 22, 2003). “Joe ‘King’ Oliver,” PBS, www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_oliverJoe_king.htm (August 22, 2003). “Joe Oliver,” Red Hot Jazz, www.redhotjazz.com/kingo.html (August 22, 2003). “Joseph Oliver,” Biography Resource Center, www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC (August 22, 2003). “King Oliver,” All Music Guide, www.allmusic.com/(...
Learn about the life and career of Joe "King" Oliver, a jazz musician, composer and bandleader who influenced Louis Armstrong and other brass players. Find out how he became a musical star in New Orleans and Chicago, and why he ended his recording career in poverty.
Jun 1, 2018 · Learn about the life and legacy of King Oliver, one of the most important New Orleans jazz pioneers and the leader of the best jazz band of 1923. Discover his musical achievements, his influence on Louis Armstrong and other cornetists, and his recordings with his Creole Jazz Band.
Aug 3, 2023 · Learn about the Creole Jazz Band recordings that changed jazz history and featured Louis Armstrong. See rare photos, original 78s, and instruments from the legendary session at the Lincoln Gardens in Chicago.
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Learn about Joe "King" Oliver, a cornet player and band leader who popularized New Orleans jazz in Chicago. Find out his life story, his band members, his recordings, and his legacy.
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