Johnny St. Cyr

Johnny St. Cyr Alexander ( born April 17, 1890 in New Orleans, † June 17, 1966 in Los Angeles ) was banjo player and guitarist.

Life and work

St. Cyr began as a child with a homemade guitar. In 1905 he appeared with its own trio, then alternating with his job as a plasterer as banjoist and guitarist of the bands of Armand J. Piron, Martin Gabriel ( 1913-14 ) and in the most prestigious brass bands of New Orleans (Superior, Olympia Brass Band, original Tuxedo Jazz Band ). 1917-19 he played on self-made sechsaitigen Guitar Banjo along with Louis Armstrong on Mississippi River steamers in Fate Marables band.

In 1923 he went to King Oliver to Chicago. 1925 to 1927 he was involved in the recording of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, but also on recordings by Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, Freddie Keppard and other famous musicians of the Chicago jazz. He played in the 1920s in the Dreamland Orchestra by Doc Cook. In 1930 he return to New Orleans, worked as a paver and played only occasionally, for example, in the groups of Paul Barbarin and Alphonse Picou. In 1955 he moved to Los Angeles and again worked full time as a musician. 1961 until his death he headed the Young Men From New Orleans in Disneyland, which also played Barney Bigard. He also took on with Barbarin, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Jimmy Noone, Kid Ory, Louis Nelson and Luis Russell.

Lexigraphic entries

  • Carlo Bohländer inter alia: Reclams jazz leader. Reclam, Stuttgart, 1991.
  • Ian Carr et al: Jazz Rough Guide. Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584- X.
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