Gus Aiken

Augustus " Gus" Aiken ( born July 26, 1902 in Charleston, South Carolina, † 1 April 1973 in New York) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist of the blues and New Orleans jazz.

Gus Aiken began his career in the Jenkins Orphanage band. His first recordings were made 1919. During the 1920s he accompanied blues singers like Clara Smith and Ethel Waters and worked with various groups such as 1926 as Kornettis in the band of Perry Bradford, James P. Johnson, Charlie Johnson ( 1928/30 ), the Mills Blue Rhythm Band and later with Louis Armstrong (1935 /36) and Buddy Johnson. He also took on record with Sidney Bechet; he also worked with Sid Catlett, Roy Eldridge and Elmer Snowden. Stylistically, he was influenced by Armstrong.