Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1902 – June 28, 1979) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

. Born in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

, United States, Hayes attended

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University (WU) is a private university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is one of three historically black universities established before the American Civil War. Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), it is named after ...

, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920s. In 1922, he toured with Fess Williams, and formed his own group, the Blue Grass Buddies, in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in 1924. In 1925, he played with Lois Deppe, and later in the decade led the groups Eight Black Pirates and the Symphonic Harmonists. From 1931 to 1936, Hayes played in and arranged for the

Mills Blue Rhythm Band The Mills Blue Rhythm Band was an American big band active during the 1930s. History The band was formed in New York City in 1930 by drummer Willie Lynch as the Blue Rhythm Band, and then briefly operated as the Coconut Grove Orchestra. Irvi ...

. From 1937 to 1941, Hayes again led his own orchestra;

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), known professionally as Kenny Clarke and nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride ...

was among his sidemen. His most popular recording was a version of the song " Stardust" and the original recording of "

In the Mood "In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by Americans, American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was re ...

" which was later covered by Glenn Miller, both songs were recorded in 1938. He moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1942, and led a quartet there for most of the decade. Following this he played solo, continuing to perform live into the 1970s. Hayes recorded under his own name in 1937–38, 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1960. He died in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

, in 1979.

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

, Edgar Hayesat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Edgar 1902 births 1979 deaths Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists American jazz bandleaders Jazz musicians from Kentucky 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians Mills Blue Rhythm Band members