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 76-95 of 95 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 66987 | 10-in. | 12/18/1939 | Bye and bye | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67321 | 10-in. | 3/14/1940 | Hep cat's ball | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67322 | 10-in. | 3/14/1940 | You've got me voodoo'd | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67323 | 10-in. | 3/14/1940 | Harlem stomp | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67324 | 10-in. | 3/14/1940 | Wolverine blues | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67325 | 10-in. | 3/14/1940 | Lazy 'sippi steamer | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67648 | 10-in. | 5/1/1940 | Sweethearts on parade | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67649 | 10-in. | 5/1/1940 | You run your mouth, I'll run my business | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67650 | 10-in. | 5/1/1940 | Cut off my legs and call me Shorty | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 67651 | 10-in. | 5/1/1940 | Cain and Abel | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1084 | 10-in. | 11/15/1937 | Once in a while | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1085 | 10-in. | 11/15/1937 | On the sunny side of the street | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1132 | 10-in. | 1/12/1938 | Satchel mouth swing | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1133 | 10-in. | 1/12/1938 | Jubilee | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1134 | 10-in. | 1/12/1938 | Struttin' with some barbecue | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1135 | 10-in. | 1/12/1938 | The trumpet player's lament | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1136 | 10-in. | 1/13/1938 | I double dare you | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1137 | 10-in. | 1/13/1938 | True confession | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1138 | 10-in. | 1/13/1938 | Let that be a lesson to you | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | DLA 1139 | 10-in. | 1/13/1938 | Sweet as a song | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Blair, Lee L.," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110316.
Blair, Lee L.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110316.
"Blair, Lee L.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 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
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.