William 'Red' McKenzie (October 14, 1899 – February 7, 1948)
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 ...
vocalist and musician who played a comb as an instrument. He played the
comb-and-paper by placing paper, sometimes strips from the ''Evening World'',
over the
tines and blowing on it, producing a sound like a
kazoo
The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a ''buzzing'' timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (itself a membranophone), one of a class of instruments that modify the player's v ...
.
Career
He was born in
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, United States.
In 1923, he founded the
Mound City Blue Blowers,
with
Jack Bland and Dick Slevin. Later they were later joined by guitarist
Eddie Lang. The quartet also used the name Red McKenzie and the Candy Kids. In 1929, the Blue Blowers recorded the songs "One Hour" and "Hello Lola" with
Glenn Miller
Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...
,
Pee Wee Russell, and
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...
.
They also recorded with
Bunny Berigan
Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...
,
Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peopl ...
, and
Muggsy Spanier. McKenzie sang with the
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 193 ...
orchestra and in the 1930s led the
Spirits of Rhythm and the Farley-Riley band.
In 1931, he sang on "
Time on My Hands, "
Just Friends" (1931), and "I'm Sorry Dear" (1931).
McKenzie played in the
Town Hall concerts of
Eddie Condon,
but retired in the 1940s.
References
Sources
*Roger D. Kinkle, ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900–1950'' (Arlington House Publishers, 1974)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Red
1899 births
1948 deaths
American jazz musicians
Jazz musicians from Missouri
Deaths from cirrhosis
20th-century American musicians
McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans members
Spirits of Rhythm members
Mound City Blue Blowers members