Jay McShann
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Muskogee OK, United States (1916 – 2006)
James Columbus (Jay or Hootie) McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American blues and swing pianist, bandleader, and singer.
McShann was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1936, and set up his own big band, which featured Charlie Parker (from 1937 to 1942), Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter Brown. Although its book included both swing and blues numbers, the band played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was “Confessin’ the Blues. ” The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944, and he was unable to successfully restart it when he got out.
After the war McShann began to lead small groups featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon started recording with McShann in 1945, and fronting McShann’s band, had a hit in 1949 with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business.” McShann then played in obscurity until 1969, when he became popular as a singer as well as a pianist, often performing with Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his 80s McShann still performed occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area and Toronto Ontario.
Crime-fiction writer Elmore Leonard featured McShann as a character in his 2005 novel, The Hot Kid.
On December 7, 2006, McShann died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.
McShann was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1936, and set up his own big band, which featured Charlie Parker (from 1937 to 1942), Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter Brown. Although its book included both swing and blues numbers, the band played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was “Confessin’ the Blues. ” The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944, and he was unable to successfully restart it when he got out.
After the war McShann began to lead small groups featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon started recording with McShann in 1945, and fronting McShann’s band, had a hit in 1949 with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business.” McShann then played in obscurity until 1969, when he became popular as a singer as well as a pianist, often performing with Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his 80s McShann still performed occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area and Toronto Ontario.
Crime-fiction writer Elmore Leonard featured McShann as a character in his 2005 novel, The Hot Kid.
On December 7, 2006, McShann died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.
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Blues From Kansas City
Jay McShann
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Swingmatism
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Solos & Duets
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The Last of the Blue Devils
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Shoutbox
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taobliss wrote:
saw him in kansas city with cilla bowman &bb king...smokin'
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F_Hole wrote:
Hootie is da man!
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Gabrocks wrote:
Man, this guy rocks, but I can't get enough of him, even in the P2P web...
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mustardgasattak, leiselotte and neiltcarter added Jay McShann to their libraries. Thursday afternoon
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Uhwelluh wrote about Jay McShann in New Tunes broadcast. last month
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LevyNagy tagged Jay McShann with ‘piano blues’. last month
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SandrinVido added Jay McShann to SandrinVido’s library. December 2011
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Uhwelluh wrote about Jay McShann in Yuletide Swing broadcast. December 2011
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trikitixa tagged Jay McShann with ‘piano’. December 2011
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Newage-Xenon tagged Jay McShann with ‘blues’. December 2011
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RonDrum, nwovhm and bluespianofreak added Jay McShann to their libraries. December 2011
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Uhwelluh wrote about Jay McShann in Blue Devils broadcast. October 2011
Related Journals
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New Tunes broadcast
by Uhwelluh |
10 Jan 2012
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Yuletide Swing broadcast
by Uhwelluh |
24 Dec 2011
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Blue Devils broadcast
by Uhwelluh |
27 Oct 2011
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Vout-O-Reenee
27 members
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Swing
955 members
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1920s and 1930s Jazz
661 members
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Swing Dancers
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Modern Big Band and Swing
360 members
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