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 1-25 of 95 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-35762 | 10-in. | 7/13/1926 | Lazy drag | Thomas Morris ; Morris' Hot Babies | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-35763 | 10-in. | 7/13/1926 | Jackass blues | Thomas Morris ; Morris' Hot Babies | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-35764 | 10-in. | 7/13/1926 | Charleston stampede | Thomas Morris ; Morris' Hot Babies | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-36047 | 10-in. | 8/17/1926 | Georgia grind | Thomas Morris ; Morris' Hot Babies | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-36048 | 10-in. | 8/17/1926 | Ham gravy | Thomas Morris ; Morris' Hot Babies | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-45619 | 10-in. | 6/11/1928 | Georgia swing | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-45620 | 10-in. | 6/11/1928 | Kansas City stomps | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-45621 | 10-in. | 6/11/1928 | Shoe shiner's drag | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-45622 | 10-in. | 6/11/1928 | Boogaboo | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-45626 | 10-in. | 6/11/1928 | Sidewalk blues | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-48433 | 10-in. | 12/6/1928 | Everybody loves my honey now | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-48434 | 10-in. | 12/6/1928 | Red hot pepper | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-48435 | 10-in. | 12/6/1928 | Deep creek | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-48436 | 10-in. | 12/6/1928 | You oughter see my gal | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-62182 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | Oil well | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-62183 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | Load of coal | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-62184 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | Crazy chords | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BVE-62185 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | Primrose stomp | Jelly Roll Morton ; Red Hot Peppers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Decca | 60021 | 10-in. | 10/3/1935 | I'm in the mood for love | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 60022 | 10-in. | 10/3/1935 | You're my lucky star | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 60023 | 10-in. | 10/3/1935 | La cucaracha | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 60024 | 10-in. | 10/3/1935 | Got a brand new suit | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 60155 | 10-in. | 11/21/1935 | I've got my fingers crossed | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 60156 | 10-in. | 11/21/1935 | Old man Mose (is dead)-1 | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Decca | 60157 | 10-in. | 11/21/1935 | I'm shooting high | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Blair, Lee L.," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110316.
Blair, Lee L.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110316.
"Blair, Lee L.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 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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