Guy Kelly (November 22, 1906 – February 24, 1940) 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 ...

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

and singer.

Life and career

Guy Edgar Kelly was born in

Scotlandville, Louisiana Scotlandville is a community located in north Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It was originally a small, independent rural community that developed along the Mississippi River in northern East Baton Rouge Parish. In 1914, Southern Univers ...

on November 22, 1906. In his early career he performed in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

with a band led by Toots Johnson before going to New Orleans to play in

Papa Celestin Oscar Phillip Celestin (January 1, 1884 – December 15, 1954), better known by his stage name Papa Celestin, was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Life and career Celestin was born in Napoleonville, Louisiana, to a Creole family, son o ...

's band in 1927-1928. In New Orleans he would regularly perform in trumpet duels with

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...

. In 1929 he went on tour as a member of

Kid Howard Avery "Kid" Howard (April 22, 1908, New Orleans, Louisiana - March 28, 1966, New Orleans) was an American jazz trumpeter, associated with the New Orleans jazz scene. Howard began on drums at about age fourteen, but switched to cornet and then tr ...

's band, and then joined Boyd Atkins's band in the summer of 1930. By 1931 Kelly had moved to Chicago where he was working with Cassino Simpson and

Erskine Tate Erskine Tate (January 14, 1895, Memphis, Tennessee, – December 17, 1978, Chicago) was an American jazz violinist and bandleader. Biography Tate moved to Chicago in 1912 and was an early figure on the Chicago jazz scene, playing with his ...

. Other Chicago musicians he worked with in the 1930s included banjoist

Ed Carry Ed, ed or ED may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ed'' (film), a 1996 film starring Matt LeBlanc * Ed (''Fullmetal Alchemist'') or Edward Elric, a character in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' media * ''Ed'' (TV series), a TV series that ran fro ...

(1932),

Dave Peyton Dave Peyton (19 August 1889 – 30 April 1955) was an American songwriter, pianist, arranger, orchestra leader, and music critic columnist for the ''Chicago Defender''. Peyton first began as a pianist in the trio of Wilbur Sweatman, along with ...

(1934),

Tiny Parham Hartzell Strathdene "Tiny" Parham (February 25, 1900 – April 4, 1943) was a Canadian-born American jazz bandleader and pianist of African-American descent. Life and career Parham was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but grew up in Kansas Ci ...

(1934),

Carroll Dickerson Carroll Dickerson (November 1, 1895 – October 9, 1957) was a Chicago and New York–based dixieland jazz violinist and bandleader, probably better known for his extensive work with Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines or his more brief work touri ...

(1934, 1937–1938),

Jimmie Noone James "Jimmie" Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca ...

(1935-1936), and

Albert Ammons Albert Clifton Ammons (March 1, 1907 – December 2, 1949) was an American pianist and player of boogie-woogie, a blues style popular from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s. Life and career Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were ...

(1935-1936, 1939 and 1940s). Kelly appears on the Noone classic ''"The Blues Jumped a Rabbit"'', recorded Chicago January 15, 1936. Kelly died February 24, 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Guy Swing trumpeters American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters 1906 births 1940 deaths 20th-century American trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians