Muggsy Spanier, Cornet, 1906, Chicago, IL
Mugsy played the cornet from the age of 13, and began his professional career in 1921. He first recorded in 1924 and played with several area dance bands until 1929, when he became an important member of Ted Lewis's band. While with Lewis he performed in two films. In 1936 he joined Ben Pollack's orchestra but after a two year illness (partly due to alcoholism) he was forced to leave him. After recovering in 1939 he formed his ragtime band, an 8 instrument Dixieland group that included George Brunis and Red Cless. The group lasted only two years due to lack of commercial success. For a while, he led his own big band, but thereafter he played and recorded almost exclusively in small Dixieland groups. He toured Europe in 1960 and retired in 1964. Spanier's style was closer to King Oliver than Louis Armstrong's. He was not a virtuoso, but his strong simple lead parts in the New Orleans style, ideally suited the music. The recordings he made with his Ragtime Band remain models for traditional jazz. Mugsy Spanier died in 1967.
Pete Brown, Saxophone, 1906, Baltimore, MD
Pete worked in a variety of settings in Baltimore, gaining much experience and learning the music business. He moved to New York in 1927 and worked as a freelance in numerous bands and combos. In 1937 he became an original member of John Kirby's group. A year later he left Kirby to form his own band with which he worked in several prominent clubs in New York. Although ill-health curtailed his activities in the 1950s, he appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 and continued to play into the 1960s. Brown was a highly original musician whose style made him a central figure in the "jump band" movement that flourished in Harlem during the '30s. His alto sax style was instantly recognizable, and he also recorded on trumpet. Echoes of his saxophone phrasing were later heard in the work of many rhythm-and-blues players. Pete Brown died in 1963.
Tommy Douglas, Clarinet, 1906, Eskridge, KS
