Johnny Dodds (; April 12, 1892 – August 8, 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 ...

clarinetist and alto saxophonist based in New Orleans, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver,

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe ( Lemott, later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz ...

, Lovie Austin and

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

. Dodds was the older brother of drummer

Warren "Baby" Dodds Warren "Baby" Dodds (December 24, 1898 – February 14, 1959) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era. He varied his drum patterns with accents and f ...

, one of the first important jazz drummers. They worked together in the New Orleans Bootblacks in 1926. Dodds is an important figure in jazz history. He was the premier clarinetist of his era and, in recognition of his artistic contributions, he was posthumously inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame. He has been described as "a prime architect in the creation of the

Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

Biography

Dodds was born in Waveland, Mississippi. His childhood environment was a musical one. His father and uncle were violinists, his sister played a melodeon, and in adolescence Johnny sang high tenor in the family quartet. According to legend, his instrumental skill began with a toy flute which had been purchased for his brother,

. He was known for his serious and reserved manner as well as his "funky blues playing," which earned him the nickname "toilet." He moved to New Orleans in his youth and studied the clarinet with Lorenzo Tio and Charlie McCurdy. He played with the bands of Frankie Duson,

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, Trombone, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of Music of New Orle ...

, and Joe "King" Oliver. Dodds went to Chicago and played with Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, with which he first recorded in 1923. Dodds blamed the breakup on not wanting to travel and on musical conflicts due to Oliver's failing musical abilities. He also worked frequently with his good friend Natty Dominique during this period, a professional relationship that would last a lifetime. After the breakup of Oliver's band in 1924, Dodds replaced Alcide Nunez as the house clarinetist and bandleader of Kelly's Stables. From 1924 to 1930, Dodds worked regularly at Kelly's Stables in Chicago. He recorded with numerous small groups in Chicago, including Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and

Hot Seven Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven was a jazz studio group organized to make a series of recordings for Okeh Records in Chicago, Illinois, in May 1927. Some of the personnel also recorded with Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, including Johnny Dodd ...

and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. He also recorded prolifically under his own name, Johnny Dodds' Black Bottom Stompers, between 1927 and 1929 for

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

, Brunswick/Vocalion, and Victor. He became a big star on the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s, but his career precipitously declined with the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Although his career gradually recovered, he did not record for most of the 1930s, affected by ill-health; he recorded only two sessions—January 21, 1938, and June 5, 1940—both for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

. On August 8, 1940, Dodds died of a stroke in his Chicago home and was buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois. Known for his professionalism and virtuosity as a musician and his heartfelt, heavily blues-laden style, Dodds was an important influence on later clarinetists, such as

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, who stated that no one ever surpassed Dodds in achieving a finer tone with the clarinet. The tone was probably caused by the use of double embouchure (lower and upper lips over the mouthpiece) in combination with a very hard reed (a thin piece of cane resting against the mouthpiece) according to CDK Cook in the Syncophated Times May 10, 2020. Dodds was inducted into the ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' Jazz Hall of Fame in 1987.

Sibling rivalry

Several accounts suggest the Dodds brothers did not always get along. When the brothers were young children, Johnny received a clarinet from his father while Baby did not get a drum even though he asked for one. In ''The Baby Dodds Story'', Baby Dodds discusses his jealousy of his older brother when they were children. As they grew up, Johnny refused to let Baby play music with him because Baby was a heavy drinker and Johnny did not drink. When Joe Oliver hired Baby to join his band and Johnny realized how much Baby's talent as a drummer had grown, Johnny changed his mind. Although they continued to argue about Baby's excessive drinking, they grew closer as brothers and musicians. Baby was greatly affected by his brother's death.

Discography

Releases featuring Johnny Dodds include the following. * 1926-00 - ''The Chronological'' (Classics589#, 1991) * 1927-00 - ''The Chronological'' (Classics603#, 1991) * 1927-28 - ''The Chronological'' (Classics617#, 1991) * 1928-40 - ''The Chronological'' (Classics#635, 1992) * 1927-29 - ''Johnny Dodds On Paramount'' (2xCD) (Frog, 2011) Complete Paramount sides as leader and sideman * 1927 - ''Johnny Dodds, Vol. 1 (''Riverside RLP-1015, 1953) Paramount recs * 1927 - ''Johnny Dodds, Vol. 2'' (Riverside RLP-1002, 1953) Paramount Recs reissued as ''In the Alley'' (Riverside; 1961) * 1925-27 - ''The Immortal Johnny Dodds'' (Milestone M-2002, 1972) Gennett and Paramount recs * 1926-29 - ''Chicago Mess Around'' (Milestone M-2011, 1972) with Lovie Austin, Blind Blake, Ida Cox * 1926-29 ''Johnny Dodds and Kid Ory'' (Columbia 16004; 1953) Columbia and Okeh recs * 1926-29 – ''The Complete Johnny Dodds'' (RCA 741110/111, 1974) Victor Recs * 1926-29 - ''Sixteen Rare Recordings'' (RCA PV-558, 1968) Victor Recs * 1928-39 - ''Blue Clarinet Stomp'' (RCA Bluebird 2293–2, 1990) Victor recs * 1927-29 - ''South Side Chicago Jazz'' (MCA MCAD-42326, 1989) Brunswick, Vocalion, Decca Recs * 1926-1938 - ''King of New Orleans Clarinet'' (1926-1938) (Brunswick BL-58016, ?) Brunswick Recs * Compilations * 1926-40 - ''Myth of New Orleans'' (Giants of Jazz 53077, 1986) * 1923–40 ''An Introduction to. His Best Recordings'' ''1923-1940'' (Best of Jazz 4014; 1994) * 1923–40 - Wild Man Blues: Hi 24 greatest (ASV/Living Era 5252, 1997) * 1923–29 - ''Great Original Performances 1923–1929'' (Louisiana Red Hot 622, 1998) * 78 rpm (incomplete) * Johnny Dodds & Tiny Parham, Paramount 261201. * Dixieland Jug Blowers, Victor 261211. * Johnny Dodds & Tiny Parham, Paramount 270401. * Johnny Dodds Trio, Vocalion 270421. * Dodds Black Bottom Stompers, Vocalion 270422. * Dodds Black Bottom Stompers, Vocalion 271008. * Johnny Dodds Trio, Victor 280705. * Johnny Dodds' Washboard Band, Victor 280796. * Johnny Dodds' Orchestra, Victor 290116. * Johnny Dodds' Orchestra, Victor 290130. * Johnny Dodds' Orchestra, Victor 290207. * Johnny Dodds' Trio, Victor 290207. * Johnny Dodds' Orchestra, Victor 290207. * Johnny Dodds' Chicago Boys, Decca 380121. * Johnny Dodds' Orchestra, Decca 400605.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Johnny Dodds (1892-1940)
Red Hot Jazz Archive
William Russell Jazz Collection
a
The Historic New Orleans Collection

Johnny Dodds recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dodds, Johnny 1892 births 1940 deaths Jazz musicians from Chicago Dixieland clarinetists Dixieland saxophonists American jazz clarinetists Paramount Records artists Vocalion Records artists Jazz musicians from New Orleans Jazz-blues saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American saxophonists People from Waveland, Mississippi Jazz musicians from Mississippi Red Hot Peppers members Tuxedo Brass Band members Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five members Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven members New Orleans Wanderers members The Eagle Band members 20th-century African-American musicians DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members