Johnny Wiggs

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Southland Records label with Johnny Wiggs

Johnny Wiggs (actually John Wigginton Hyman , * 25. July 1899 in New Orleans ; † 9. October 1977 ibid) was an American jazz - cornet player and bandleader of Dixieland jazz .

Live and act

Johnny Wiggs began his career as a violinist, then switched to the cornet and moved to New York before returning to New Orleans. Stylistically he was strongly influenced by King Oliver and Bix Beiderbecke . In 1924/25 he played with Norman Brownlee, in 1926 with Happy Schilling. From the late 1920s he worked as a teacher in Louisiana and also appeared in jazz clubs in New Orleans. The first recordings were made in the late 1920s as John Hyman's Bayou Stompers and Ellis Stratakos . From the late 1940s, Wiggs was again active as a full-time musician, leading various formations (including with Frank Froeba ) and making recordings, now under the stage name Johnny Wiggs . He was one of the few Jewish jazz musicians of the time.

In 1946 he convinced the WSMB broadcaster to become an all-star band (with Julian Laine , Bujie Centobie, Armand Hug , Chink Martin and Monk Hazel ) who worked for the broadcaster every week for 18 months. He took part in the jazz revival from the 1940s through recordings a. a. with Snoozer Quinn ( Melancholy Baby ), Santo Pecora , Armand Hug, Raymond Burke and Doc Souchon ; Under his own name he recorded four tracks for the small label New Orleans Records in 1948, Ultra Canal, Two Wing Temple in the Sky, Bourbon Street Bounce and Congo Square . In 1950 he recorded the standard Baby Won't You Please Come Home for Commodore Records .

In the 1960s, Wiggs appeared only intermittently, although he remained active until the 1970s. From 1969 to 1974 he performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and the Manassas Jazz Fest . He mentored younger musicians like George Finola and helped found the New Orleans Jazz Club . His most famous students included Pete Fountain and George Girard .

Discographic notes

The former home of Johnny Wiggs in Jefferson, Louisiana.
  • New Orleans Kings (Southland, 1954 - 10 "-LP)
  • Dixieland of Old New Orleans (Golden Crest, 1957)
  • Sounds of New Orleans, Vol. 2 ( Storyville Records , 1950-55) with Raymond Burke, Armand Hug, Doc Souchon, Phil Darois
  • New Orleans Jazz Chamber Music Session (Paramount, 1956)
  • Chamber Jazz (1959)
  • Zutty Singleton & Johnny Wiggs: Jazz For The Seventies (Fat Cat's Jazz)
  • City of a Million Dreams (GHB, 1972) with Art Hodes, Claude Hopkins , Bob Greene
  • Doc Souchon & Johnny Wiggs, The Lakefront Loungers: New Orleans Daily Jazz (GHB) with Edmond "Doc" Souchon, Sherwood Mangiapane , Raymond Burke, Johnny Wiggs, Paul Crawford , Knocky Parker , Paul Barbarin
  • Congo Square by Johnny Wiggs and other Vintage Material from 1948 & 1949 (GHB, 2010)

Lexigraphic entries

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charles Suhor Jazz in New Orleans: The Postwar Years Through 1970. Rowman & Littlefield 2001, p. 122
  2. ↑ Portrait page of Snoozer Quinn
  3. ^ Contemporary Records - Discography 1955-1956
  4. ↑ Information at jazzlives
  5. ↑ louisiana digital library  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.louisianadigitallibrary.org  
personal data
SURNAME Wiggs, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wigginton Hyman, John (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz cornetist and band leader of Dixieland Jazz
DATE OF BIRTH July 25, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH October 9, 1977
Place of death New Orleans