The Original Memphis Five

The Original Memphis Five was an early jazz quintet founded in 1917 by trumpeter Phil Napoleon and pianist Frank Signorelli. Jimmy Lytell was a member from 1922 to 1925. The group made many recordings between 1921 and 1931, sometimes under different names, including Ladd's Black Aces and The Cotton Pickers. Richard Cook and Brian Morton, writing for The Penguin Guide to Jazz, refer to the group as "one of the key small groups of the '20s".

The group formed around 1917. The name Original Memphis Five was first used in 1920, and applied to small groups of white musicians throughout the decade. The Ladd's Black Aces name was used from 1921 until 1924. Cook and Morton identify Jimmy Lytell and Miff Mole as standout musicians in the group. Jimmy Durante played piano with Ladd's Black Aces, while both Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were members of the Original Memphis Five. Occasional vocalists were Anna Meyers, Annette Hanshaw and Vernon Dalhart (as George White).

Both Red Nichols and Miff Mole later led their own groups named Original Memphis Five. Phil Napoleon, however, would continue using the group name into the 1980s.

Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1917

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1931

Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-63 of 63 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick E29579 10-in. 4/5/1929 Memphis blues The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E29580 10-in. 4/5/1929 Beale Street blues The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E29581 10-in. 4/5/1929 Kansas City Kitty The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal Musical group  
Brunswick E2202-E2205 10-in. 1/23/1926 ‘Tain’t cold The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E2206-E2208 10-in. 1/23/1926 Chinese blues Hottentots [The Original Memphis Five] Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E2209-E2211 10-in. 1/23/1926 Bass ale blues Hottentots [The Original Memphis Five] Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E7204-E7205 10-in. 3/19/1928 A blues serenade The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E7206-E7207 10-in. 3/19/1928 Denver stomp The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E17612-E17615 10-in. 1/21/1926 Chinese blues The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick E24240-E24242 10-in. 8/16/1927 Lovey Lee The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance quintet Musical group  
Brunswick E24251-E24253 10-in. 8/16/1927 How come you do me like you do The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance quintet Musical group  
Edison 9173 10-in. 9/22/1923 The Jelly Roll blues The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance ensemble Musical group  
Edison 9174 10-in. 9/22/1923 A bunch of blues The Original Memphis Five Jazz/dance ensemble Musical group  
(Results 51-63 of 63 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Original Memphis Five, The," accessed May 6, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/334996.

Original Memphis Five, The. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 6, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/334996.

"Original Memphis Five, The." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/334996

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