| He learned trumpet in New Orleans
in the brass band of his father, Henry Allen, Sr. After playing in various
New Orleans groups, including that of George
Lewis, he went to St. Louis in 1927 to join King Oliver. He traveled with Oliver to New York, where he recorded with Clarence Williams. In
1928-9 he played in Fate Marable's Mississippi riverboat bands; during
this period he was discovered by representatives of the Victor company,
who were searching for a jazz trumpeter to offset the tremendous success
of Louis Armstrong on
the Okeh label |
|
