[Dixielandjazz] Laurie Wright RIP

Bill Haesler bhaesler at bigpond.net.au
Mon Apr 5 15:13:06 PDT 2010


Dear friends,
The following, written by the well known jazz authority Howard Rye, has been forwarded to me by my DJMLer friend, Carl Hällström: 

> Laurie Wright, editor and publisher of Storyville magazine from 1965 to
> 1995, died in London on 28 March 2010. He was also author of the standard
> bio-discographies of Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Fats Waller,
> publisher of several editions of both Jazz Records 1897-1942 and Blues &
> Gospel Records 1902-1943 and many other serious contributions to
> scholarship. After his 'retirement', he produced and published several
> volumes of similar research material on vintage jazz and blues.
> 
> Laurie was born at Enfield in outer north London on 3 February 1929. An able
> linguist, he won a scholarship to study languages in Paris, but was recalled
> to do his National Service in the RAF. He ended up working as an electrical
> engineer at radio manufacturers Ferguson's. In the early 1950s he opened a
> record shop in Walthamstow Village in East London which rapidly became a
> mecca for collectors of vintage jazz records. A group of them were one day
> bemoaning the demise of The Record Changer and consequent lack of a forum
> for their interests when Laurie's wife Peggy, passing about her domestic
> duties, asked why they didn't publish one themselves. The rest, as they say,
> is history.
> 
> Issue 1 of Storyville is dated October 1965. Initially a typical
> enthusiasts' fanzine it grew rapidly into what was effectively a
> peer-reviewed journal of scholarship overseen by Laurie and The Storyville
> Team, who also undertook (some of them) the physical task of assembling the
> magazine which alone made it financially viable. For the same reason Laurie
> printed it himself. Despite this the bi-monthly (quarterly from 1987)
> schedule was maintained with very few hiccups for 162 issues up to June
> 1995, after which four semi-annual volumes were published up to 2003. Laurie
> used his increased leisure to carry out detailed analyses of the
> African-American press which issued in the publication in his annual volumes
> of a mass of additional data and a proposed re-dating of the activities of
> the Paramount record label.
> 
> Storyville Publications also became a leading publisher of jazz books,
> producing Laurie¹s own works, the standard discographies, two volumes of
> Eric Townley¹s Tell Your Story, Tom Lord's bio-discography of Clarence
> Williams, and several biographical and autobiographical memoirs of vintage
> musicians. The last of these was the autobiography of trombonist Preston
> Jackson, published in 2005, after which ill-health forced Laurie¹s reluctant
> retirement.
> 
> He is survived by his widow, Peggy, their sons Kevin and Chris, daughters
> Susan and Jenny, and a brood of grandchildren. Their eldest son Paul, a
> professional folk singer active in Brittany, tragically pre-deceased his
> father.
> 
> Without him, the world's knowledge of vintage jazz and blues would be
> immeasurably impoverished.

Laurie was a dear friend of mine for many, many years. We corresponded regularly regarding jazz research and were warmly welcomed into his home in England on our visits there. We will miss him.
He was a giant in the world of jazz record collecting, research, discography and publishing.
Fortunately, his impressive jazz legacy will be with us forever.
Very kind regards,
Bill.




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