John C. Spikes
John Curry Spikes (July 22, 1881 – June 28, 1955) was an American jazz musician and entrepreneur. Along with his brother Reb Spikes, John ran a traveling show band in early 1900s. At one point, Jelly Roll Morton was a member of the band. The Spikes brothers were performing in San Francisco around 1915, under the name The Original So-Different Orchestra, with Reb Spikes billed as the "World's Greatest Saxophonist". Around 1919, they settled in Los Angeles, where they started a music store, a nightclub, an agency and a publishing house. They were the first to record an all-black jazz band in 1922. In 1927, they shot a short sound film that predated The Jazz Singer, the first full-length sound film. Their most enduring musical collaborations were writing the lyrics to Morton's Wolverine Blues and their own composition, Someday Sweetheart, which has become a jazz standard. |
Birth and Death Data: Born July 22, 1881, Died June 28, 1955
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1922 - 1942
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, composer, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-38 of 38 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunswick | C656-C657 | 10-in. | 9/17/1926 | Someday sweetheart | Dixie Syncopators ; King Oliver | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Brunswick | C1414-C1415 | 10-in. | 1/9/1928 | Someday sweetheart | Royal Hawaiians ; Sam Ku West | Instrumental trio | songwriter | |
Brunswick | LAE431 | 10-in. | 3/25/1929 | I’m smiling with a broken heart | Henry Starr | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Brunswick | [Vo cat 1028-b] | 10-in. | Someday, sweetheart | Alberta Hunter | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | songwriter | ||
Edison | 8651 | 10-in. | 10/31/1922 | That sweet something, dear | Atlantic Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Edison | 9842 | 10-in. | 11/10/1924 | My mammy's blues | Georgia Melodians | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Edison | 18021 | 10-in. | 11/9/1927 | Someday, sweetheart | Al Lynn ; Music Masters | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Edison | 18100 | 10-in. | 12/13/1927 | Someday sweetheart | Melville Morris ; Piccadilly Players and Singers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | songwriter | |
Nordskog | [Nordskog cat 3007A] | 10-in. | April 1922 | When you're alone blues | Roberta Dudley ; Ory's Sunshine Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Nordskog | [Nordskog cat 3007B] | 10-in. | April 1922 | Krooked blues | Roberta Dudley ; Ory's Sunshine Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Nordskog | [Nordskog cat 3008A] | 10-in. | April 1922 | That sweet something dear | Ruth Lee ; Ory's Sunshine Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Nordskog | [Nordskog cat 3008B] | 10-in. | April 1922 | Maybe someday | Ruth Lee ; Ory's Sunshine Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Nordskog | [Nordskog cat 3009B] | 10-in. | approximately late May 1922 | Society blues | Spikes' Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Spikes, John C.," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/113920.
Spikes, John C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/113920.
"Spikes, John C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Spikes, John C., 1882-1955 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008015010
Wikidata: John Spikes - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6258668
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/117149294368980522299
MusicBrainz: John Spikes - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e1b64998-7415-4a8b-a9ff-27996a4d49f2
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