Jimmy Blythe
Jimmy Blythe (born May 20, 1901 in Louisville , Kentucky , † June 21, 1931 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an influential American jazz and boogie pianist. His date of birth is controversial.
Born and raised in Kentucky, Blythe moved to Chicago around 1916, where he learned to play the piano with pianist Clarence M. Jones . He was an all-round pianist who often played popular pieces, such as the ragtime track "Chicago Stomps" (1924), with boogie rhythms.
Blythe recorded a number of piano rolls in the early 1920s before joining Paramount Records as a studio pianist and performing with spasm bands (a kind of youth band ) like the Midnight Rounders and the State Street Ramblers. He formed a duo with Johnny Dodds and had his own band, Blythe's Sinful Five . He also accompanied various blues singers , such as Ma Rainey .
In 1925, Blythe released "Jimmy's Blues," based on the boogie classic "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie" (1928) by Clarence 'Pine Top' Smith . He was also involved in the recordings of Jimmy Bertrand , June Cobb , the Memphis Night Hawks (1932) and Bumble Bee Slim (1934-36).
The musicians who named Blythe as a role model include a. also Albert Ammons .
Jimmy Blythe died of complications from meningitis in 1931 at the age of 30 .
Lexical entry
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
- Carlo Bohländer , Karl Heinz Holler, Christian Pfarr: Reclam's Jazz Guide . 3rd, revised and expanded edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-15-010355-X .
Web links
- Jimmy Blythe at Allmusic (English)
- Jimmy Blythe in Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Anniversary of the death of Carlo Bohländer a. a. Reclam's Jazz Guide 1989
- ↑ All Music Guide (see web links) indicates January 1901.
- ↑ Peter J. Silvester: A Left Hand Like God: A History of Boogie-Woogie Piano (1989), pp. 52-54.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blythe, Jimmy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz and boogie pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 20, 1901 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Louisville , Kentucky |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 21, 1931 |
| Place of death | Chicago , Illinois |