Larry Shields
James Lawrence " Larry " Shields ( * September 13, 1893 in New Orleans, Louisiana, † November 21, 1953 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American jazz clarinetist of the early New Orleans jazz.
He came from a musical family and his three brothers were professional musicians. He learned clarinet at age 14 and played in the bands of Papa Jack Laine, before he went in the summer of 1915 to Chicago to join the band of Bert Kelly. Shields then played in the band of Tom Brown before the Original Dixieland Jass band ( ODJB ) joined in November 1916 ( where he replaced Alcide Nunez ). With this band he made 1917 the first ( nationally successful ) "Jazz" LP recordings. In 1921 he left the band and played in New York, among others before he moved to Los Angeles with the band of Paul Whiteman, where he led his own band and also appeared briefly in some Hollywood movies. In the 1930s, he returned to Chicago to play with the re-issue ODJB. Then he played in the " Nick's " in New York, back in New Orleans and then moved to California.