KingOliver

Joe 'King' Oliver was born in Louisiana in 1881 and came to New Orleans as a young man, where he became one of the city's most celebrated cornetists. He played in various ensembles and eventually led his own bands in the city before moving to Chicago in 1918, where the music was finding new audiences and new opportunities.

Oliver was one of the early masters of the mute — using a variety of devices to create the 'wa-wa' and growling effects that became central to early jazz cornet playing. His technical innovations influenced virtually every horn player who followed, including his most famous protégé, Louis Armstrong.

His Creole Jazz Band recordings from 1923 are among the most important in jazz history — the first great band recordings of New Orleans jazz, made by musicians who had developed the style in its original context. Armstrong, who joined the band in 1922, plays second cornet on these recordings.

Oliver's later years were marked by illness, financial difficulty, and the fading of his Chicago moment as jazz moved in new directions. He died in Savannah, Georgia in 1938, working as a janitor. His enormous contribution to jazz history was recognized only after his death.