“His domineering personality stifled creativity and held back the band musically, which in turn caused a constant turnover of personnel. Lee Singing Novelty Orchestra, Kansas City, 1924 Photo courtesy Charles Goodwin/Driggs Collection He worked steadily, keeping a day job at the Armour meat-packing company. “Paul Banks was probably the oldest bandleader. Holmes, clarinet Lena Kimbrough, vocals Paul Banks, leader/piano Sylvester Kimbrough, vocals Left to right: Clifton Banks, alto sax Winston M.W. Lena and Sylvester Kimbrough, accompanied by Paul Banks Kansas Trio, 1924 Photo courtesy Paul Banks/Driggs Collection Maxey and Wheeler became stars with Cab Calloway a decade later.” “A Chicago musician, Lewis held down the best-paying job in Kansas City in 1920, only to lose it when he refused to hire a second saxophonist. Left to right: Leroy Maxey, drums Depriest Wheeler, trombone unidentified, banjo Lawrence Denton, clarinet Dude Knox, piano unidentified, violin Dave Lewis, alto sax, leader. News of his death sent shock waves through the music community of Kansas City.”ĭave Lewis Jazz Boys, Troost Dancing Academy, Kansas City, 1920 Clarinetist Cy Dewar rememberd McMurray as ‘one of the finest hot men’ in Kansas City and the ‘first…to play the A-flat also, while everyone was playing the C melody, also the first to start the slap tongue vogue’…A severe case of tonsillitis nipped McMurray’s brilliant career in the bud… died on October 29, 1922, at the age of twenty-five. “McMurray, stout with a lantern jaw and slicked-back brown hair parted down the middle in the style of the day, readily established a reputation as an innovator and outstanding soloist. Loren McMurray, the first star of Kansas City whose fame extended elsewhere, 1922 “Everything is Hotsy Totsy Now”, by the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks Their long run at the Muehlebach Hotel coupled with regular broadcasts overWDAF eventually brought them to Chicago’s Congress Hotel in 1924.” “Debuting in 1920, Coon-Sanders relied mainly on novelty work. Left to right: Carleton Coon, drums/vocals/co-founder Carl Nocatero, trombone Hal McClain, alto sax Harry Silverstone, violin Joe Sanders, piano/vocals/co-founder Harold Thiell, C melody sax Bob Norfleet, banjo Clyde Hendrick, trumpet. “Tom Pendergast was the man who made Kansas City the draw for entertainment and nightlife until tax evasion brought him down in 1939.”Ĭoon-Sanders Novelty Orchestra, Kansas City, 1920 “Kansas City’s government, ruled from 1911 to 1939 by a Democratic political machine driven by Tom Pendergast, a burly Irishman with a twinkle in his eye, fostered the wanton nightlife rife with gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. – Edward Murrow of the Omaha World-Hearld With the possible exception of such renowned centers as Singapore and Port Said, Kansas City has the greatest sin industry in the world.” “If you want to see some sin, forget Paris and go to Kansas City. – Music by Charlie Parker and lyrics by King Pleasure, “Parker’s Mood” 1953 Put a twenty-dollar silver piece on my watch chain,Īnd sing a little song to let the world know I’m really free.ĭon’t cry for me, ’cause I’m going to Kansas City.” “Don’t hang your head when you see those six pretty horses pullin’ me. In cooperation with Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix, authors of Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop - a look at the fascinating historyof Kansas City’s golden age through book excerpts, photos and musicĪll photos and book excerpts used with the permission of Frank Driggs, author of Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop - A History

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