Jazz royalty
Jazz royalty is a term that reflects the many great
jazz musicians who have some sort of
royal title in their names or
nicknames.
The practice goes back to
New Orleans at the start of the
20th century, back before the music was commonly known as "jazz".
Buddy Bolden was known as "King Bolden", as the top hot music and hot
trumpeter of the city.
The realization that such titles might have commercial or public relations values also dates to this era.
Violinist and bandleader Alex Watzke, observing Bolden's popularity, started billing himself as "
King Watzke", and paid children coins to publicly point at him as he walked down the street and say "There goes King Watzke". While he succeeded in appending that nickname to himself, some fellow musicians used it more with amusement than with the respect accorded to Bolden.
After Bolden was institutionalized in
1907, his crown was taken by
Freddie Keppard. "King Keppard" ruled until
1914 when
Joe Oliver bested him in musical battle.
Joe Oliver left New Orleans in
1919. Some later writers have assumed that the trumpet crown at that time went to Oliver's protegé
Louis Armstrong, but Armstrong and his contemporaries made no such claim. Armstrong had a powerful rival in
Buddie Petit, whom many ranked higher than young Armstrong in the period of 1919-1922. Neither billed himself as "king".
Oliver was known as "King Oliver" in Chicago, and still regarded as the jazz king as late as
1925, when Louis Armstrong returned to Chicago from
New York City. Armstrong's great respect and affection for Oliver was probably a factor in never claiming Oliver's kingship, although at the urging of his wife
Lil Hardin Armstrong Louis Armstrong was billed as the "world's greatest jazz trumpeter", rendering Oliver's title more ceremonial than a claim of supremacy.
Meanwhile in New York City,
Paul Whiteman billed himself as the "King of Jazz". His nationally popular band with many hit records arguably played more jazz-influenced
popular music than jazz
per se, but to the dismay of many later jazz fans Whiteman was widely known as "King of Jazz" in the
1920s and early
1930s and a
motion picture The King of Jazz starring Whiteman and his band appeared in
1930.
Jelly Roll Morton was one of many annoyed by Whiteman's claim and had enough bravado to challenge it. In
1924 he billed his band as "the Kings of Jazz", but the title never caught on.
The
New Orleans Rhythm Kings were popular in Chicago.
 |
Duke Ellington |
Benny Goodman was regularly called the "King of Swing". His rival,
Artie Shaw, was often called "King of the Clarinet". Goodman's song "King Porter Stomp" was written by
Jelly Roll Morton after a piano player he knew named Porter King. Later a little-known bandleader took the name "King Porter".
Nat King Cole's nickname is partly inspired by the nursery rhyme "
Old King Cole" and partly inspired by his impressive
piano technique.
There was a popular, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek "sweet"
big band, led by
Blue Barron, a
stage name. Blue Barron once billed himself as competing for the title of "King of the
Mickey Mouse Bands".
*
Sharkey Bonano billed his band as "Sharkey & His Kings of
Dixieland". What started out as the
Assunto Family band acknowledged Sharkey's supremacy but claimed a lesser title for themselves, becoming the
Dukes of Dixieland.
*
Charles Mingus dubbed himself "
Baron Mingus" for a brief period early in his career.
*Many of
Al Hirt's records credited him as Al "He's The King" Hirt.
* The King:
Joe Oliver* The Queen:
Peggy Lee* The Duke:
Duke Ellington* The Count:
Count Basie* The Earl:
Earl Hines, more commonly called "Fatha"
* The First Lady:
Ella Fitzgerald (aka the First Lady of Song)
* Prez (short for "President"):
Lester Young* Vice Prez:
Paul Quinichette, whose style resembled Young's
* Lady Day:
Billie Holiday* The Prince of Darkness:
Miles Davis* Sir
Roland Hanna, knighted by the president of Liberia,
William Tubman, in 1970.
* Sir
Charles Thompson was 'knighted' by Lester Young.
* High Priest of Bop:
Thelonious Monk* High Priestess of Soul
Nina SimoneMamie Smith was billed as the "Queen of the Blues";
Bessie Smith outdid her with the billing "Empress of the Blues". In a later era,
Dinah Washington was also billed as the "Queen of the Blues".
B.B. King always called himself the "Blues Boy" or "Beale Street Blues Boy" and fellow bluesmen
Albert King (born Albert Nelson) and
Freddie King were content to share a last name with him. They are now known as the "Three Kings of the Blues", a partial reference to the
Three Magi.
Many other jazz greats had nicknames that were not royalty-related, but some consider them to be part of the royalty anyway -- purely because their skill as musicians merits a place on the list with the best:
* Pops:
Louis Armstrong. The nickname "Satchmo" was popular with concert promoters, but other jazz musicians and friends called him "Pops"
* Dizzy, or The Diz:
Dizzy Gillespie* Bird, or Yardbird:
Charlie Parker* The Divine One:
Sarah Vaughan* The Boss of the Blues:
Big Joe Turner found no objectors or rival claimants to this title
* Trane:
John Coltrane* Chairman of the Board, Ol' Blue Eyes and The Voice:
Frank Sinatra* The Guvnor:
Ken Colyer
