Jelly roll morton biography facts for kids

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His first marriage was to a woman named Mabel, although details about the union are sparse. The success of the Red Hot Peppers during this period marked a zenith in Morton's career, allowing him to showcase his exceptional skills as both a pianist and a composer. Most of the rest of Morton's reminiscences, however, have proved to be reliable.

But they turned into over eight hours of Morton talking and playing piano! The first draws heavily on Morton's own words and stories from the Library of Congress interviews.

Career Success: Innovations in Jazz Music

Jelly Roll Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe, emerged as a pivotal figure in the evolution of jazz music.

Throughout his life, he was married twice. He took the name "Morton" by Anglicizing the name of his step-father, Mouton. It became a very popular song that many swing bands played.

Awards and Honors

Jelly Roll Morton received many honors for his contributions to music:

• His Library of Congress interviews were released as a special collection.
  

  Morton's Later Years

  During the period when he was recording his interviews, Morton was seriously injured by knife wounds when a fight broke out at the Washington D.C. dive he was playing in.

  When did Jelly Roll Morton die, and what is his legacy?

  Jelly Roll Morton passed away on July 10, 1941, in Los Angeles, California.

  Many people consider him one of the most important figures in early jazz.

  Morton was one of the first people to arrange jazz music.

  Despite the struggles he faced in his later years, including a decline in popularity during the Great Depression, Morton's legacy continued to resonate. However he took seriously ill shortly after his arrival and died on July 10, 1941.

  His recordings, including hits like "Black Bottom Stomp" and "Smoke-House Blues," contributed significantly to his income and helped solidify his place in music history. I have obtained permission from him to use the image here. The sessions, originally intended as a short interview with musical examples for use by music researchers in the Library of Congress, soon expanded to record more than eight hours of Morton talking and playing piano, in addition to longer interviews which Lomax took notes on but did not record.

  This photograph is cropped from group photo of musicians and entertainers in Los Angeles, California, at the Cadillac Club, taken around 1917 or 1918.

  Despite his brash claims of having "invented jazz," Morton's financial success was more a product of his extensive touring, club management, and recording endeavors. The Red Hot Peppers featured such other New Orleans jazz luminaries as Kid Ory, Omer Simeon[?], Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, and Baby Dodds.