Johnny Wiggs (born John Wigginton Hyman, July 25, 1899 - October 10, 1977) was a

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 ...

musician and band leader. Born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, United States, Wiggs started his music career on the

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

. He soon adopted the

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

before returning to New Orleans. His main stylistic influences were

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke ( ; March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical a ...

and

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wro ...

, who Wiggs insisted did his best work in New Orleans in the years before he moved up North and was recorded. In the late 1920s he took a job as a teacher in Louisiana and at night played in New Orleans jazz clubs. He made his first recordings as "John Hyman's Bayou Stompers" in the late 1920s. In the 1940s he again became a full-time musician, leading several bands and recording many songs. He used the pseudonym "Johnny Wiggs", as jazz was still looked down on in some circles. He became an important figure in the local traditional jazz revival. In the 1960s he performed part-time, though he remained active until the 1970s. He was a mentor to George Finola.

Pete Fountain Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr. (July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life and education LaFontaine was born to Pierre, Sr. and Madeline, in a small Creole cottage-style fr ...

was one of his more famous pupils. He helped found the New Orleans Jazz Club and was a force behind the jazz revival in the 1940s.

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1899 births 1977 deaths Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz bandleaders American jazz cornetists 20th-century American conductors (music) Good Time Jazz Records artists Southland Records artists {{US-jazz-musician-stub