Papa John Joseph

"Papa" John Joseph ( born November 27, 1877 in St. James Parish, † January 22, 1965 in New Orleans ) was an American musician and one of the early bassist of the New Orleans Jazz.

Life and work

Papa John Joseph played since the age of fourteen bass, especially in an existing family of strings band. He has collaborated with Kid Ory in Lutcher (Louisiana ) and moved in 1906 to New Orleans. In the next few years he performed with the band of Claiborne Williams before he became a member of the Original Tuxedo Orchestra. Like his younger brother Willie "Kaiser" Joseph, he then played in Storyville District until its closure 1917. Later he pursued his main occupation is a hairdresser.

His memories of living near Buddy Bolden form a part of the book by Donald Marquis, In Search of Buddy Bolden. Joseph worked in the field of jazz between 1962 and 1964 at 18 recording sessions, including with Punch Miller and George Lewis and His New Orleans All Stars with whom he appeared in Japan in 1963. In his last years he played at Preservation Hall, where he collapsed after a bass solo on When the Saints Go Marching In during a performance.