[Dixielandjazz] RE: Christian names

[Walker, Maurice]

For years I've toyed with the idea of an interesting-name all-star band.
These would be real names, not obvious nicknames like Pops Foster, Fud
Livingston, Howdy Quicksell, Miff Mole, Turk Murphy.

Clarinet: Albany (Barney) Bigard 
Trombone: DePriest Wheeler
Piano: Hartzell (Tiny) Parham 
Banjo: Silas Cluke
Bass: Wellman Braud
Drums: Dash Burkis (he recorded with Wingy Manone; this may be my all-time
favorite name, and I included it even though it's probably a nickname)
Vocalist: Hoagland Carmichael

I've saved trumpet/cornet for last, because it's really a section:
Leon Bismarck Beiderbecke
Langston Curl
Loring (Red) Nichols
Chelsea Quealy
Cladys (Jabbo) Smith 
Lucius Watters


 -----Original Message-----

Maurie Walker said :

"Another was Singleton Palmer's band.  And I seem to recall that trumpeter
 Dewey Jackson un-retired and re-retired several times in the late fifties."

What on earth inspires parents to give their children such peculiar names?
I'm having great difficulty imagining Mr. and Mrs. Palmer cooing over their
newborn while leafing through a book of baby names.  Mr. Palmer grunts,
throws the book on the fire, then turns to his adoring wife and says, "I
don't like any of 'em - let's call him Singleton". Same goes for names like
Kermit Ruffins, Thelonius Sphere Monk (oh my God, what have I said? It might
ignite more Barbone bent note diatribes), while Dewey calls Donald Duck's
nephew to mind.

John Farrell
stridepiano at tesco.net
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm