Photo Gallery – Bix Beiderbecke
Beiderbecke Family Cemetery Plot – D.B.
The Beiderbecke family has a plot in Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport, Iowa. Bix was buried here on August 11, 1931. Bix’s stone is the one on the right. I am grateful to Dave Bartholomew for sending me a scan of this photograph, which he took in 1981.
Bix in 1927 – H.E.
Bix first joined the Jean Goldkette orchestra in October 1924, but the association lasted only two months. Bix could not read music well and could not keep up with the steady addition of new material needed for the weekly radio broadcasts. Moreover, Eddie King, the Victor recording director, took a strong dislike toward Bix and his jazz solos. Bix rejoined the Jean Goldkette orchestra in September 1926, this time a successful association that lasted for a year. Mug shots of all musicians in the Jean Goldkette Victor Recording orchestra were taken in January 1927 for publicity purposes. At that time, the orchestra consisted of Bix, Brown, Farrar, Lodwig, Mertz, Morehouse, Murray, Quicksell, Rank, Ryker, Trumbauer, and Willcox.
Two Pages From Tram’s Diary, Dec 3 and 4, 1928. W.T.
During the writing of “Tram: The Frank Trumbauer Story” by Philip R. Evans and Larry F. Kiner with William Trumbauer, Studies of Jazz, No.18, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey and The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Metuchen, N.J., & London, 1994, the 1928 diary of Frank Trumbauer was located. Two images of pages from the diary, December 3 and December 4, 1928, are presented here. The text follows.
Dec 3. Detroit & no Bix when he should be(?) he missed the best town on the map. Saw Gene [sic] Goldkette also Charles & they like me Im sure, Hope they succeed.. Paul offered me his Stutz ? for my record money and I jumped at it boy what a car and how I can go home now to show the folks boy Im very happy over the whole thing. Dec 4. Athens, Ohio, can’t play for thinking of that car and my trip home. Mitzi will pass out when she sees that car, Boy, it’s beautiful and plenty fast. Sure wish I could get to St. Louis, but I don’t think I can make it. Trumbauer refers to Bix’s absence on December 3. Bix had a breakdown on November 30, 192,8, in Cleveland, Ohio, and stayed there to recuperate under the care of a doctor and a male nurse.
I thank Bill Trumbauer for kindly sending the images and for giving me permission to upload them here. Uploaded Dec 2004.
Two Pages from Trumbauer’s Diary, Nov 19 and 20, 1928. W.T.
During the writing of “Tram: The Frank Trumbauer Story” by Philip R. Evans and Larry F. Kiner with William Trumbauer, Studies of Jazz, No.18, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey and The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Metuchen, N.J., & London, 1994, the 1928 diary of Frank Trumbauer was located. Two images of pages from the diary, November 19 and 20, 1928, are presented here. The text follows:
Nov 19. Sioux City Iowa
Bix day, all the folks were there and lauded long and loud.
I wish he would straighten up.
Nov 20. Sioux Falls, S.D.
bought a coat here that is one coat. 135 But I’ll make it up somehow.
The Paul Whiteman Orchestra presented a concert in the Central High School Auditorium in Sioux City, Iowa on November 19, 1928 as part of the Whiteman tour in the Fall of 1928. Sioux City and Davenport are on opposite ends of Iowa, a distance of about 260 miles. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Bix’s folks -presumably Bismark, Agatha, Burnie and perhaps his wife (they had a three-month-old child, Charles) attended. Note the concern displayed by Frank Trumbauer about his friend Bix. Evans and Evans (Bix: the Leon Bix Beiderbeke Story) write that around this time, “Paul became concerned over Bix’s drinking. He first asked Frank Trumbauer to speak to him, and then he tried a little fatherly advice. Bix promised to straighten up and actually succeeded in giving up the alcohol for a time. Bix maintained a sober appearance as the band played dates in Iowa (Nov 22, Cedar Rapids; Nov 23, Clinton) and the Beiderbecke family members attended the concerts.
I thank Bill Trumbauer for kindly sending the images and for giving me permission to upload them here. Uploaded Dec 2004.
Bix’s Cousin – Werner von Binzer. V.M.
Bix’s grandfather, Charles (born Carl), was born in Prussia in 1836. He arrived in Davenport in 1956 and married Louis Piper in 1860. Two of their children were Bismark Herman (Bix’s father) and Lutie. Lutie married Max von Binzer. Only one of her three children survived, Werner. Utie and Werner moved to California in 1922. Werner von Binzer was a banjo player. Note the resemblance of Werner’s ears to Bix’s. They stick out! I am grateful to Veniero for sending me a scan of the photograph.
Bix’s Father in First Car in Davenport. R.R.
The book Them Was the Good Old Days: In Davenport, Scott County, Iowa,” by W. L. Purcell, 1922, Purcell Publishing Co, has a photograph of the “first automobile in Davenport.” In fact, the photo shows two cars with six gentlemen. One of the six is identified as B. H. Beiderbecke, Bix’s dad. It would appear that Bix’s dad was into cars. In this photo, he is shown sitting in the first car in Davenport. It is worth pointing out that the available documentation shows that Bix’s dad did not have “garden variety cars,” such as Fords, etc. The two interesting cars we know he owned are a Davis and a Reo.
Bix Mural – A.H.
This image was obtained by scanning a postcard of the Bix Beiderbecke mural on the building located at Brady St. and West River Drive, Davenport, Iowa. The mural portrait is by Loren Shaw. The photograph of the mural is by Dennis/Karen Clevenger. I am grateful to Richard M. Sudhalter for his generous gift of the postcard.
Bix’s Last Residence – A.H.
Bix’s last stay in Davenport was from November 1930 to February 1931. Late in February 1931, he moved into room 605 of the 44th Street Hotel in New York, where he stayed until late June. At this time, Bix moved for a few days with Rex Gavitte at 24-60 32nd Street, Astoria, Queens and then to a new apartment house at 43-30 46th Street, Sunnyside, Queens. The photograph of the entrance to the apartment building was taken on August 6, 1999, when a group of Bixophiles gathered in front of the house to honor the memory of Bix.
Memorial to Bix Beiderbecke Record – A.H.
This is V Disc No. 774. It was produced by the Music Branch, Special Services Division, War Department. It is a 12-inch, 78 rpm recording. Side A has “A Handful of Stars” by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with a trumpet chorus by Lt. Harry Johnson and “Singin’ the Blues” by Buddy Hackett and his orchestra. Side B has “Dancing on the Ceiling” by Glen Gray and his Orchestra with Red Nichols on trumpet. On the label is written “Memorial “SS” Release (As suggested by Dr. John Dale Owen)”. Image of side A. Image of side B.
Blue Lantern Casino and Cottage – R.J.
In May 1926, Frank Trumbauer led a Goldkette unit at Hudson Lake, Indiana.
The engagement lasted from May 22 to August 30, 1926. The orchestra played at the Blue Lantern Casino. In August 2000, Rich Johnson of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society,y accompanied by Journalist Jim Arp, went to the site where the Blue Lantern Casino is located and took photographs of the Casino and of the cottage where Bix and other musicians from the band spent the summer of 1926.
The initial account, before Rich and Jim visited the Blue Lantern Casino, can be read by clicking the link: Items of Special Interest
Rich wrote on 08/25/00:
The cottage [where Bix stayed in the summer of 1926] is no longer yellow, but blue.
We met the Millers, Lorraine & Del (parents of the owner, their son, who lives in St. Louis), at the Casino and followed them to the cottage. It is now located at least a mile from its original location, which was south of the Casino and by the railroad tracks. Del had just installed a wooden railing around the front porch the day before we arrived, which I noticed right away. Upon entering the front door, you find yourself in a room that was probably the place where Bix’s piano stood. Off to your right were doors that led into two small bedrooms. This was the original cottage. Since then, they have added a room across the back, which contains a kitchen and bath. It was very exciting just being there and thinking back to when Bix, Pee Wee, and the others once shared this very house.
Del is in the process of fixing up the place, installing new windows, carpeting, etc. Their son is now asking for 40 thousand plus the cost of repairs. Phil [Popsychala] told me that when he talked with the woman realtor who was handling the property a few months ago, and “before they found out about Bix,” the price was $29,900. We also re-visited the Casino and found it the same.
The outside had been painted, but the stage, dance floor, etc., was the same. The owner is very “tight-lipped” and will not say what his plans are. Jim Arpy, a journalist and former charter member of BBMS, went with me. We had an exciting and enjoyable time, to say the least! By the way, Lorraine & Del Miller are very nice people!
General view of Casino
View of Casino from across the lake
Original soda fountain
Rich writes:
Customers purchased soft drinks which they would “spike” with liquor since prohibition was in force. If you look at the upper right, you can see part of a wooden telephone booth. The soda fountain and the booth date back to 1926.
View of inside of casino
Former “yellow” cottage, now blue
I am grateful to Rich Johnson for generously providing the account and the photographs.
Bix’s Grandparents’ House – R.J.
Bix’s grandparents were Carl Beiderbexke (changed his first name to Charles) and Louisa Pieper (changed to Louise Piper). Charles was born in Westphalia, Prussia, in 1836. and died in Davenport in 1901. Louise was born in Hamburg, Prussia, in 1840 and died in 1922 in Davenport while Bix had an engagement in Syracuse. Charles and Louise came to America in 1853, but in different ships and at different times of the year. Charles and Louise went to Davenport in 1856, but not at the same time. They met in Davenport and got married in 1860. They built their home at 532 W. 7th Street in 1880. Louise lived in the home she and Carl built until her death in 1922. The home was then converted to the Beiderbecke apartments.
Currently, it is a bed and breakfast establishment owned by Pam and Dennis Laroque.
Bix did not know either of his grandfathers but was quite close to Louise (oma). Charles and Louise had four children: Carl Thomas, Oottilie, Bismark Herman, and Lutie. Bismark was Bix’s father. Louise visited Germany in 1907. She was accompanied by her son, Carl. They came back on the Grosser Kurfurs, which arrived in New York on September 17, 1907. Both Louise and Carl are described as US citizens. Carl’s name is given as Charles. The photograph was taken ca 1899 and is included in the book “Davenport of today:
[a picturesque and descriptive account of the present mercantile and industrial interests and advantages of Davenport] “
published in 1910, 26 pages.
The three people seen are Charles, Louise, and Lutie. The photo was discovered by Gerri (one of Rich Johnson’s researchers in Davenport) in a tiny book (26 pages) in the special collections of the Davenport Public Library. A framed copy of the photo is hanging on a wall of the Beiderbecke Inn.
Bix in Tyler School. – R.J.
Bix enrolled in Tyler School, 1921 Grand Avenue, Davenport, right across from his home, in September 1908. Bix was five years old and went to kindergarten school through June 1909.
During the school years 1909-1911, Bix attended first and second grade. Bix started third grade on September 4, 1911, but did not complete the year because he contracted scarlet fever. On September 2, 1912, Bix enrolled in third grade for the second time. He continued going to Tyler School and completed eighth grade in the middle of the school year, on January 25, 1918.
The photo of the eighth-grade class has Bix on the far right, second row. Vera Cox, Bix’s high school girlfriend, is fifth from the left in the front row. Rich noticed something very interesting about the photo. All the boys (and most of the girls) have the ribbon on their left. Bix has his ribbon on the right. A sign of Bix going his way, an individualist who does not follow conventions? Note also the disproportionate number of girls as compared to boys: 14 girls and only 7 boys.
Weekly Program for the Blue Lantern, Summer 1926. – R.R.
In March of 1926, Jean Goldkette took an option on the Casino in Hudson Lake and renamed it The Blue Lantern. He assigned to that venue an orchestra directed by Frankie Trumbauer. The band consisted of Fuzzy Farrar (t); Bix(c); Sonny Lee (tb); Doc Ryker, Pee Wee Russell, Frank Trumbauer (reeds); Itzy Riskin, (p); Frank DiPrima (bj); Dan Gaebe (b); Dee Orr (d). According to all accounts, that was a very happy summer for Bix. The Blue Casino put out weekly programs. I have three pages from one of the programs.
Front Cover
Page 8
Photo of Band
The Last Photograph of Bix? – D.S.
In a Forum posting, Bill Anthony asks if there are any photographs of Bix from 1930 or 1931. The last photograph that I know of is from late August 1929. Paul Whitmena and his musicians had spent June-August in Los Angeles in connection with the film “The King of Jazz”. There were problems with the script that could not be worked out, and by August 28, 1929, Paul and the orchestra left Los Angeles. According to Evans and Evans, “Bix: The Leon Bix Beiderbecke Story”, p. 487, this photograph of Bix and Tram was taken “en route back to New York”.
The accompanying image is a scan from Duncan Schiedt’s magnificent book “Twelve Lives in Jazz”, Delta Publishing, Parma, Italy, 1996. The same photograph is included in Hoagy Carmichael’s auto biography “Sometimes I Wonder”, published in 1965. The caption to the photo reads: “Bix and Frankie Trumbauer somewhere in Kansas when Paul Whiteman’s band was returning from Hollywood. I was a freeloader on this trip.” I met Duncan in March 2000, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He graciously gave me permission to scan and post this photograph from p. 31 of Twelve Lives in Jazz.”
The Jean Goldkette Band at the Zoo. – S.A.
In 1926, the Jean Goldkette band went on an Eastern tour. Part of the tour included an appearance at Roseland. During their stay in New York, the musicians visited the zoo and played in front of the cage of an Alaskan brown bear. From left to right, Bix Beiderbecke, Fred Farrar, Ray Lodwig, Bill Rank, Spiegle Willcox, Don Murray, Howdy Quicksell, Frank Trumbauer. This was in October 1926.
Ad for a Dance at Haynes Dancing School – R.J.
During the Spring of 1921, Bix played several dates with the Buckley Novelty Orchestra around Davenport. During the summer of 1921, Bix played with the bands in the excursion (out of Davenport) steamers “Majestic” (Plantation Jazz Orchestra) and “Capitol” (Ten Capitol Harmony Syncopaters). On August 5, 1921, Bix had the first gig under his own name, the “Bix Beiderbecke Five”, for a dance at the Haynes Dancing School. The ad appeared in the August 5 issue of the “Davenport Democrat and Leader” paper. The building today houses “Trash Can Annie’s Antique Clothing.” Here’s a current photograph of the building.
Rich Johnson, after seeing the mention of the dance in Sudhalter and Evans’s “Bix: Man and Legend”, reasoned that there could be an ad in a local paper for the dance. Rich was successful in his search. “I’ve found it, I’ve found it”, he exclaimed -to the surprise of the library patrons around him- when he came upon the ad while looking through the microfilms in the Davenport Library.
Ad for Danceland – R.J.
This ad appeared in the December 28, 1929, issue of The Daily Times. The ad was specificlly for a battle of the bands between the Jimmy Hicks orchestra and Tony’s Iowans. However, note under the ad the statement “DANCING SUNDAY, Don’t Fail to Hear “BIX”.
Musician’s Union Transfer Sheet – R.J.
When a musician took up residence in a new city or town, he/she would transfer his/her membership to the new local. The date of this document is June 18, 192,6, and it corresponds to a transaction related to his membership involving the St. Louis and Detroit locals (withdrawal/deposit). I found it fascinating to realize, as I went through the document, that Bix was reading the questions and answering them. This scan is from a copy of the document located in the Davenport Library. I am indebted to Rich Johnson for sending me the copy.
The Wolverine Orchestra in Doyle’s Academy of Music – J.V.
Bix with the Wolverine Orchestra opened at Doyle’s Dancing Academy on January 14, 1924. The engagement had been arranged for them by Cincinnati’s band leader, Bernie Cummins. The Academy was located on the third floor of the building at the corner of Court Street and Central Avenue in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. This photo was taken in early 1924.
H. E. kindly cleaned up some blemishes on the photo. Here’s the restored photo.
Door to Doyle’s Academy of Dance – D.B.
Bix with the Wolverine Orchestra opened at Doyle’s Dancing Academy on January 14, 1924. The engagement had been arranged for them by Cincinnati’s band leader, Bernie Cummins.
The Academy was located on the third floor of the building at the corner of Court Street and Central Avenue in downtown Cincinnati. The Wolverines “had caused a greater stir among local musicians than on paying customers,” wrote Sudhalter and Evans in “Bix: Man and Legend.” Therefore, on March 31, 1924, the Wolverines notified the management of Doyle’s Academy of their decision to leave the Academy and seek an engagement at the Athletic Club in Indianapolis.
However, the people in charge of Doyle told the musicians that their contract was binding and that they could not leave. To ensure that the musicians would not depart, the management told them that they could not remove their instruments from the Dance Hall. The Wolverines were determined to leave. Thus, that night, Dick Voynow, who had stayed in the dance hall under the guise that he had to work on some arrangements, lowered their instruments from the third floor to the street where the remaining Wolverines were waiting to recover their instruments and load them into cars. After bringing down all the instruments, Voynow joined his colleagues, and they all drove to Indianapolis, where they arrived early in the morning of April 1, 1924. A photograph of the building where the Academy was located is given on page 102 of Sudhalter and Evans’s book. Dave Bartholomew took a photograph of the door to the building in the late Seventies, shortly before the block-long building was demolished.
Phoenix Building in Cincinnati, Home of Doyle’s Dancing Academy – D.B
View 1. Central Avenue face of the building. The big green door on Court Street is hidden by the street sign post.
View 2. Court Street side of the doomed Phoenix Building taken from about the same angle as Francis Hannaford’s 1965 shot on p.102 in “Bix-Man & Legend”.
Voyager Bix – F.W.
This a booklet published by Frederick C. Wiebel, Jr. on March 10, 1986, the day that Bix would have turned 83. The booklet consists of ten pages, 6 1/2″ x 8 1/2 “. Fred drew the images on each page to make what could be called a montage.
Fred writes on 07/30/01:
The individual drawings were printed without borders and butted up to each other, taped together and to the inside back of the cover and folded up accordion style to expand out to about 65″. I had wanted to print them on a single 65″ piece of paper, but that was impossible at the time. I tried to use as many Bix images as I could squeeze in to tell the story. When I was working on the bust, I had put most of the Bix photos all on one large piece of cardboard so I could look at them all at once. I liked being able to do that.
Individually, the Bix photos looked like different people, but by seeing them all together, I was able to follow the logical changes and became aware of the continuity in each, if that makes any sense. I decided to concentrate my efforts on the visual aspects of Bix as my contribution to ‘the cause. ‘ I can’t remember just how many “Voyager Bix” booklets I printed, but I’m sure it was less than 50 copies. I just have a Xerox ‘test pressing’ copy myself. I can’t locate the cover design at this time, but it’s probably buried in my studio somewhere, along with the hundreds of other Bix-related drawings. I used to sell them by mail and at shows that I did. I mailed out Xerox version freebies too.
Mont 1
Mont 2
Mont 3
Mont 4
Mont 5
Mont 6
Mont 7
Mont 8
Mont 9
Mont 10
A Beiderbecke Reverie – F.W.
Fred writes on 8/10/01:
I had spent many hours at Oakdale [the cemetery where Bix is buried, ed.] and in the heat of the summer I could feel the images of Bix’s life rising out of the ground like evaporating dew and hear cornet strains in the rustling of the leaves in the trees. I tried to recapture that feeling in the sketch. I didn’t want to make any corrections or use colors as I thought that would break the spell by making it too solid. It was done in an acrylic wash on a 9″ X 12″ canvas and it is dated April 4, 1986. I was going to use it for the cover of a Bix calendar with significant dates that I put together from the chronology in Bix, Man & Legend. I contacted some ‘Jazz’ calendar publishers but they didn’t feel that there would be enough interest to make it commercially viable.
Ad for the Camel Pleasure Hour – S.B.
In September of 1929, after recording “Waiting at the End of the Road”, his last record with the Paul Whiteman orchestra, Bix collapsed. His health was very poor. Paul Whiteman and Kurt Dieterle put Bix on a train to Davenport, where he remained for several months of rest and treatment. Bix returned to New York in April 1930. The jazz scene was not very encouraging. Bix was reluctant to join Paul Whiteman again. Let’s recall that it was the brutal Whiteman tour that had started in May 1929 and the idle summer in Hollywood that contributed to the rapid deterioration of Bix’s health. Few jobs were to be found, but he managed. Bix joined Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and played on college campuses. He had a recording date with his old pal Hoagy Carmichael.
Things were beginning to look up. Sudhalter and Evans, in their magnificent book “Bix, Mand and Legend” (Arlington House, 1974), provide a detailed account of the genesis of the Camel radio program:
One non-playing guest that night was John Wiggin, a Bix fan since his undergraduate days at Stanford University. He had just been named by NBC to produce their new Camel Pleasure Hour radio series. N. W. Ayer & Son, the advertising agency handling the account, nominated Nat Shilkret to form the orchestra. Not illogically, Shilkret’s choice for arranging and general musical organization was Bill Challis. Together, the two men set out about recruiting what was, in effect, a large Whiteman-style orchestra.
Several of the members of the orchestra were either old buddies of Bix’s or musicians he knew well: Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Min Leinbrook, Lennie Hayton, Carl Kress, Carlie Margulis, Red Mayer. The premiere of the Camel Pleasure Hour took place on Wednesday, June 4, 1930, over WJZ from New York City, one of the “blue” stations of the NBC network. Bix played on the Camel Pleasure Hour every Wednesday until October 8, 1930, when he blacked out in the middle of the broadcast and returned to Davenport. Bix was replaced by Bob Ephros.
Mural in Skydeck of Sears Tower – W.S.
The Skydeck in the Sears Tower in Chicago is 1,353 feet (412 meters) above the ground. One of the murals on the sky deck has photos of several jazz musicians whose careers started in Chicago. Among the musicians in the mural, we find Bix Beiderbecke. As noted by Will Severns, the name assigned to Bix is “Leonard Bismark Beiderbecke”!!! In August 2002, I wrote to the officials at the Sears Tower, pointing out the error and asking that it be corrected. As of today (September 7), no answer has been received.
Record Label Signed by Bix, Tram and Pee Wee – M.K.
Signed label of OKeh record 40822, “Ostrich Walk,” recorded by Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra with Bix on May 9, 1927. Mike writes on Feb 25, 2005.
I am not maintaining with certainty that these autographs are authentic. I believe they are, but I have not had them authenticated. If it is a forgery, it was done a long time ago.
I bought the record about 20 years ago from a long-time collector who had bought it from Robert Altshuler back in the 1970s. The signatures were flaked off then, as you see them in the photo, so obviously it had been done many years before the 1970s, and on the surface they stand a good chance of being authentic. Also, if it’s a forgery, the decision to include Pee Wee Russell is a bit odd since he doesn’t play on that record.
My belief is that someone took a copy of the record to a later session to have it signed and just happened to get Pee Wee without realizing that he isn’t on those sides (no discographies back then!). There is also a Trumbauer signature on the flip side that’s in better shape. Altshuler was a Columbia Records executive who was a dealer in high-profile 78s on the side. He donated or sold the remains of his stock to the Smithsonian a few years before he died.
This is what I am able to decipher from the writings on the label. Best Regards Frank Trumbauer Bix Beiderbecke Best of everything Best of Luck Pee Wee Russell.
Bix in Musician’s Union Local 67 Ledgers – E.B.
Bix obtained a musician’s union card on October 1, 1923. The card was issued by the Davenport American Federation of Musicans, Local # 67. This is a copy of the Bix page in the union’s ledgers.
Ad For Appearance of Bee Palmer in Davenport – R.J.
This ad appeared in the February 25, 1921, issue of The Daily Times. Bee Palmer, the Shimmy Queen, appeared from February 27 to March 2, 1921, in the Columbia Theatre in Davenport as part of the Orpheum circuit. Her jazz band consisted, according to Santo Pecora’s recollections, of Emmett Hardy, cornet; Santo Pecora (trombone); Leon Roppolo, clarinet; John Frisco, drums; and Al Siegel. piano. According to Esten Spurrier, he and Bix played “hooky” and attended all of the performances. On March 3, Bee Palmer and Al Siegel were married, secretly, in the masonic temple by justice of the peace W.W. Scott.
Mary Hill’s House – R.J.
Bix’s mother was Agatha “Aggie” Jane Hilton. Her parents were Beriah Hilton and Caroline Hill. Caroline Hill was the daughter of Adam Hill. Caroline had two brothers, David and John, and a sister, Mary. Adam lived in the house at 615 E 15th Street, Davenport, Iowa, with his sons and daughter, Mary.
When Beriah left his family, Caroline and Aggie went to live with Adam Hill. David moved to Colorado, and Caroline died in 1879, when Agatha was nine years old. Two years later, Adam died, and 4 years later, John died. That left Agatha alone with her Aunt Mary. Agatha married Bismark Beiderbecke on June 7, 1893. They did not have their own house at that time, and they moved in with Aunt Mary. Burnie and Mary Louise (Bix’s brother and sister) were born there in 1895 and 1898, respectively.
In 1900, Aggie and Bismark moved into the house at 1934 Grand. Three years later, Bix was born in what is known today as “Bix’s house.” The genealogical information comes from “Bix: The Leon Bix Beiderbecke Story” by Philip and Linda Evans and from current research by Rich Johnson.
Ad for Davenport Blues Record – B.
The March 5, 1925, issue of the Davenport Democrat and Leader carried an ad for Bix Beiderbecke and His Rhythm Jugglers’ recording of “Davenport Blues.” This was recorded on January 26, 1925, at the Gennett Studios in Richmond, Indiana. The Jugglers were Bix (cornet), Don Murray (clarinet), Tommy Dorsey (trombone), Paul Mertz (piano), and Tommy Gargano (drums). This is the only Bix composition for a jazz band. All his other compositions were for piano.
Photographs of the Blue Lantern – M.B.
Photo 1. A view of the entrance to “The Whistle Stop”
Photo 2. The train from South Bend at the station, only a Flag stop.
Photo 3. A view of the entrance at night.
Photo 4. A view of the back end from the North edge of Hudson Lake
Photo 5. The restored cabin where Bix and cohorts stayed in the summer of 1926.
The Wolverine Orchestra in the Gennett Studios – H.E.
This is the famous photograph taken on February 18, 1924, during the first recording session of the Wolverine Orchestra at the Gennett Recording Studios in Richmond, Indiana. From left to right: Min Leibrook, Jimmy Hartwell, George Johnson, Bob Gillette, Vic Moore, Dick Voynow, Bix Beiderbecke and Al Gandee.
The Wolverine Orchestra Outside the Gennett Studios, 1 – H.E.
This image and the next one were taken outside the Gennett studio after the recording session of May 6th, 1924. The photographs belonged to George Johnson, who sent them, together with an article he wrote called “Wolverine Days” in 1936 to the English jazz magazine “Swing Music”. The originals were never send back to Johnson and are since lost. Standing in car, left to right: Leibrook, Hartwell, Moore, Johnson. Standing in front: Gillette, Bix, Voynow. The scans are by Hans Eekhoff from a copy of the magazine that belongs to Ate van Delden. Copies of the photographs are found in p. 148 of “Bix” The Leon Bix beiderbecke Story” by Philip Evans and Linda Evans.
The Wolverine Orchestra Outside the Gennett Studios, 2 – H.E.
For information about the origin of the photograph, see the previous image. Left to right, unknown, Leibrook, Hartwell, Johnson, Moore, Gillette, Voynow, Bix. Addendum, 09/10/01. Dave Bartholomew transmits the following information in an e-mail message:
I’ve been told by a good authority (Sam Meier of Richmond, Indiana) that the “unknown’ in the boxcar photo is recording supervisor Ezra Wickemeyer. He has a hat on and holds his hands in his pockets. Sam Meier says Ezra Wickemeyer liked to strike a pose when being photographed. He has seen other pictures of him.” Mr. Wickmeyer was the recording supervisor for Hitch’s Happy Harmonists recording session of May 19, 1925. Hoagy Carmicheal replaced Hitch at the piano, and two great tunes by Hoagy were recorded, namely, “Boneyard Shuffle” and “Washboard Blues.” Hoagy recorded “Washboard Blues” again on November 18, 1927, this time with Bix and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. That was the first recording of Bix with Whiteman.
I am grateful to Dave for supplying the identity of the “unknown” man in the photograph.
Davenport Blues Sheet Music – A. H.
On January 26, 1924, Bix Beiderbecke and His Rhythm Jugglers, Don Murray (clarinet), Tommy Dorsey (trombone), Tommy Gargano (drums), and Paul Mertz (piano), recorded the immortal “Davenport Blues” in the Gennett Records Studios in Richmond, Indiana.
Hoagy Carmichael, who was present in the session as he had driven Bix from Indianapolis, provides the following account in his autobiography “Sometimes I Wonder”:
Bix started doodling on his horn. He seemed to find a strain that suited him. By that time, everybody took a hand in composing the melody, and the true friendship of musicians began with the music.
“We’re ready?” Bix said.
Everyone nodded. “Oh, sure”.
As far as I could see, they didn’t have any arrangement worked out. Or tune either. Yet when the technician came in and gave them the high sign, they nodded.
“Spin it, Sam.” “Any time you are ready”.
Away they went, down into the lowest darkness of mood and music. Dorsey said in the break: “Call it Davenport Blues in honor of Bix’s hometown”.
“Thanks, fellas”.
Davenport Blues was copyrighted in 1927 and again in 1937 by the Robbins Music Corporation. The sheet music, an arrangement for piano, was edited by Bill Challis.
Vincent Bach Corporation File Cards for Stradivarius Cornets Purchased by Bix in 1927 – A.H.
On February 17, 1927, Bix purchased at Hans Bach music store on West 48th Street a Bach Stradivarius cornet, serial number 0616, bell mandril # 101, made of French brass. Bix also ordered another Stradivarius cornet, serial number 0620, bell mandril # 106, made of French brass and gold-plated. The cornet was sent to Bix after he had returned to Detroit. The # 620 cornet is the one currently located in the Putnam Museum. For information about this cornet, visit: Items of Special Interest.
Roy Hempley kindly sent me scans of the two file cards.
616
620
The images are shown with the permission of The Selmer Company. Their generosity is herein acknowledged. I also want to thank Enrico Borsetti for giving me a link to the Selmer Company site. That resulted in a very fruitful correspondence with Roy.
Bix’s Bach # 620 Cornet – E.B.
This is the cornet currently in the Putnam Museum, Davenport, IA. Bix ordered this cornet on February 17, 1927. For information about this cornet, visit: Items of Special Interest.
Bix’s Signature – A.H
This item with Bix’s signature below the title “Dennington Builders, Inc. appeared on eBay in 2001. I grabbed the image and saved it. If the owner of the item objects, I will quickly remove this image from the gallery. The origin of this item is unknown.
Vince Bach Corporation File Card for Jimmy McPartland’s Stradivarius Cornet – AH
According to Evans and Evans, in “Bix: The Leon Bix Beiderbecke Story,” Bix helped Jimmy McPartland buy a Bach Stradivarius cornet. In a telephone interview of 2/1/54, Jimmy McPartland stated:
We played a jam session in the Three Deuces, and Bix showed me his new Bach cornet, the best horn he’d ever owned. I fell in love with it, and right after the jam session, he took me over to the Dixie Music Company. Bix put down $100 for a Bach [serial number 929]. and told me, “You can scrape up the other $50.” Jimmy did and picked up the cornet on December 14th.
To see the image of the file card, click here.
I am grateful to Roy Hempley for sending me the scan and to the Selmer Company for permission to show it.
The Steamboat S. S. Capitol – F.W.
During the summer of 1921, just before he left for the Lake Forest Academy, Bix played cornet with the bands of two steamboats. On June 21, he joined the Plantation Jazz Orchestra on the S. S. Majestic. Day excursions on June 21, 25, 28, and 30 originated in Davenport, and Bix was on the boat on those days. On July 6, Bix joined Doc Wrixon’s “Ten Capitol Harmony Syncopaters [sic]” on the S. S. Capitol. According to Sudhalter and Evans in “Bix: Man and Legend,” “the old stern-wheeler worked the river from Hannibal, Missouri, deep in Huck Finn country, all the way up to Winona, Minnesota, east of Rochester.. Most of the trade was in 24-hour charter jobs.” When the Capitol docked in Davenport on July 15, the musicians’ union officials had Bix removed from the band because he did not have a union card.
Davenport, Part 1 – F.W.
Davenport, Iowa, was Bix’s birthplace. Davenport is located on the Mississippi River, and boats were an integral part of life.
Through the courtesy of Fred, I offer three images.
The Davenport ferry
The skyline of Davenport
The key to the city
Davenport, Vintage Postcards – A.H.
Davenport, Iowa, was Bix’s birthplace. That is where Bix went to school, church, and walked to the banks of the Mississippi River. Here are some views of places where we could meet Bix if we had a time machine. First Presbyterian Church.
View 1
View 2
Tyler School
This is the elementary school that Bix attended. The school is located across the street from Bix’s home on Grand Avenue. The cancellation date on the postcard is October 7, 1913. At this precise time, Bix was enrolled in fourth grade. Davenport High School.
View 1
View 2
View 3
Blackhawk Hotel (1917)
Bix played in this hotel on December 23, 1929, with the Trave O’Hearn Dance Orchestra.
Mississippi Hotel
Enrico Borsetti and Rich Johnson tell me that Agatha, Bix’s mother, moved into the Mississippi Hotel in downtown Davenport shortly after Bismark’s death in 1940, where she remained until her death on September 5, 1952.
Davenport Ferry (1915)
Second Street, Davenport.
Third and Brady Streets, Davenport
Kirkwood Boulevard, Davenport
A part of the First Presbyterian Church can be seen on the left.
Davenport Outing Club (1906)
This is where Marie Louise, Bix’s sister, got married to Theodore Shoemaker on November 8, 1924.
Bird’s Eye View of Davenport (1913)
Bird’s Eye View of Davenport (1907)
Second and Harrison Street (1907)
More Vintage Postcards of Davenport – L.M.P.
Looking East on Main Street from Second Street
Second Street Looking West
Corner of Second and Brady Streets
Third and Brady Streets
Courthouse
High School – 1909
City Hall – 1909
Public Library – 1923
I am grateful to LyndaMeyer Paxton for graciously giving me permission to post her postcards.
Advertisements for OKeh Records – R.R.
According to Tim Gracyk and R. J. Wakeman (see http://www.garlic.com/~tgracyk/tmw.htm ):
The phonograph industry’s main trade journal from 1905 to around 1930 was Talking Machine World (TMW). It eventually covered radio products as carefully as talking machines and in 1929 was renamed Talking Machine World And Radio-Music Merchant. The 1929 Crash seems to have put an end to the publication, or at least I have seen nothing later than the December 1929 issue.
The TMW featured articles and lots of fascinating advertisements. There were ads for anything related to phonogrpahs, including ads for recently released records. The following, taken from various issues of the Talking Machine World, are of interest to the Bixography.
1. Ad for OKeh Records: “Riverboat Shuffle” and “Ostrich Walk” by Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra. June 1927.
2. Ad for OKeh Records: Sophie Tucker, Frankie Trumbauer, and Boyd Senter. October 1927.
3. Ad for OKeh Records: Sophie Tucker, Frankie Trumbauer, Sigmund Krumgold, Seger Ellis. December 1927.
4. Ad for OKeh Records: Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra, Joe Venuti’s Blue Four, McKenzie and Condon’s Chicagoans, Bix Beiderbecke and His Gang, Boyd Senter. December 1928.
1600 Broadway – R.R. and A.H.
Bix played twice in the ballroom located at 1600 Brodaway in New York City. The first time was in the Fall of 1924 with the Wolverine Orchestra. The ballroom was named the Cinderella Dance Hall or Cinderella Ballroom at that time. The second time was with Adrian Rollini’s New Yorker orchestra in the Fall of 1927. The building was constructed in 1902 and housed the Studebaker showroom. As of this writing 9 Nov. 20, 2004), the building is about to be demolished.
Image 1. The building in the 1900s.
Image 2. The building was completed in November 2004.
