Original Memphis Five | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Ladd's Black Aces The Cotton Pickers |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Years active | 1917 (1917)–1990 (1990) |
| Labels | Gennett Columbia Brunswick |
| Past members | Phil Napoleon Frank Signorelli Jimmy Lytell Miff Mole Jimmy Durante Tommy Dorsey Jimmy Dorsey |
TheOriginal Memphis Five was anearly jazz quintet founded[where?] in 1917 bytrumpeterPhil Napoleon andpianistFrank Signorelli.Jimmy Lytell was a member from 1922 to 1925. The group made many recordings between 1921 and 1931, sometimes under different names, including Ladd's Black Aces[1] and The Cotton Pickers.Richard Cook andBrian Morton, writing forThe Penguin Guide to Jazz, refer to the group as "one of the key small groups of the '20s".[2]
The group formed around 1917.[1] The name Original Memphis Five was first used in 1920, and applied to small groups of white musicians throughout the decade.[1] The Ladd's Black Aces name was used from 1921 until 1924.[1] Cook and Morton identifyJimmy Lytell andMiff Mole as standout musicians in the group.[1]Jimmy Durante played piano with Ladd's Black Aces, while bothTommy andJimmy Dorsey were members of the Original Memphis Five.[1] Occasional vocalists were Anna Meyers,Annette Hanshaw andVernon Dalhart (as George White).
BothRed Nichols andMiff Mole later led their own groups named Original Memphis Five.[1] Phil Napoleon, however, would continue using the group name into the 1980s.[2]
