Morton, Jelly Roll (1890-1941), was the first important jazz pianist and the first great jazz composer. His style of traditional jazz merged ragtime and blues with group improvisation. His recordings from 1926 to 1930 with a small band he led called the Red Hot Peppers are considered classics of the recorded jazz repertory. Morton’s compositions include such jazz standards as “King Porter Stomp,” “Grandpa’s Spells,” “The Pearls,” and “Wolverine Blues.”
Morton was born on Oct. 20, 1890, in New Orleans to a French Creole family. His real name was Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe (also spelled Lemott). With changing tastes in jazz styles, Morton faded into obscurity in the early 1930’s. In 1938, folklorist Alan Lomax recorded many interviews with Morton for the Library of Congress. Morton recounted his experiences in jazz while demonstrating the music on the piano. The interviews provided an invaluable account of the early days of jazz and renewed Morton’s career. Morton made a few more outstanding recordings before his death, including “The Crave” and “Winin’ Boy Blues.” He died on July 10, 1941. In 1998, Morton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer who had an early influence on rock music.
