Lee L. Blair
Lee L. Blair (October 10, 1903, Savannah, Georgia – October 15, 1966, New York City) was an American jazz banjoist and guitarist. Blair was a left-handed autodidact on banjo, aside from a few lessons taken from Mike Pingitore, the banjoist for Paul Whiteman. He played and recorded in NYC with Thomas Morris's Seven Hot Babies in 1926, played with Charlie Skeete in 1926-28, then played and recorded with Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers in 1928-30. He played with Billy Kato in 1930-31, then played and recorded with Luis Russell (1934–35) and Louis Armstrong (1935-40). He worked part-time in music through the 1940s, then joined Wilbur De Paris's New New Orleans Jazz Band in the 1950s at Jimmy Ryan's Club on West 52nd Street in New York City. In the summer of 1957 he toured in Africa with the DeParis band for the State Department. In the 1960s he played less, concentrating on raising chickens on his farm in Belmore, Long Island, but appeared at the 1964 World's Fair in a trio with Danny Barker and Eddie Gibbs and freelanced around New York with Hank Duncan and others until he died. He never recorded as a leader, but appears on record with Morris, Morton, Russell, Armstrong, and De Paris, as well as with Dick Cary, Pee Wee Erwin, and Leonard Gaskin among others. He is honored in the jazz section of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, GA. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 10, 1903 (Savannah), Died October 15, 1966 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1940
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, banjo
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 95 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 62339 | 10-in. | 7/7/1936 | Sun showers | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63775 | 10-in. | 5/13/1938 | So little time | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63776 | 10-in. | 5/13/1938 | Mexican swing | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63777 | 10-in. | 5/13/1938 | As long as you live | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63778 | 10-in. | 5/13/1938 | When the Saints go marchin' in | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63809 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | on the sentimentccl side | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63810 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | It's wonderful | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63811 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Something tells me | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 63812 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Love walked in | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 64907 | 10-in. | 1/18/1939 | Jeepers creepers | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 64908 | 10-in. | 1/18/1939 | What is this thing called swing? | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65344 | 10-in. | 4/5/1939 | Hear me talkin' to ya | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65345 | 10-in. | 4/5/1939 | Save it pretty Mama | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65346 | 10-in. | 4/5/1939 | West End blues | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65347 | 10-in. | 4/5/1939 | Savoy blues | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65460 | 10-in. | 4/25/1939 | (I'm) Confessin' (that I love you) | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65461 | 10-in. | 4/25/1939 | Our Monday date | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65462 | 10-in. | 4/25/1939 | If it's good then I want it | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65463 | 10-in. | 4/25/1939 | Me and Brother Bill | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65824 | 10-in. | 6/15/1939 | Baby, won't you please come home? | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65825 | 10-in. | 6/15/1939 | Poor old Joe | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 65826 | 10-in. | 6/15/1939 | Shanty boat on the Mississippi | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 66984 | 10-in. | 12/18/1939 | Poor old Joe | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 66985 | 10-in. | 12/18/1939 | You're a lucky guy | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 66986 | 10-in. | 12/18/1939 | You're just a no account | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Blair, Lee L.," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110316.
Blair, Lee L.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110316.
"Blair, Lee L.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Blair, Lee L., 1903-1966 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96038661
Wikidata: Lee Blair - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1811724
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/14364526
MusicBrainz: Lee Blair - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4bde05c3-47a7-4d6d-b702-7a24e0296d80
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