- King Kolax
King Kolax (Nov. 6, 1912,
Kansas City, Missouri - Dec. 18, 1991,Chicago ) was aUnited States jazz trumpeter.Biography
Kolax was born William Little in Kansas City, Missouri in 1912; he misleadingly claimed he was born in 1918 in later years. While young his family moved to Chicago, and studied music under
Walter Dyett . He completed a degree at theChicago Conservatory of Music in the early 1930s, and played in various dance bands in the Chicago area in the 1930s. Around 1938, he became bandleader of one of the groups; this ensemble did tours around the United States and continued playing regularly at venues such as theSavoy Theater and the65 Club . In 1939,Charlie Parker played in his band. The King Kolax Orchestra may have been the first all-black band to play onNBC radio, in 1942 or 1943.Kolax put together a new band in 1943 and toured the
American South again, to great success. He continued touring throughout the country and onmilitary base s within the U.S. through 1946. In May 1946, Kolax's group broke up, and Kolax himself joinedBilly Eckstine 's big band, with whom he made his first recordings. Eckstine's band did not last to the end of the year, and Kolax organized another troupe late in 1946, which lasted until May 1947;John Coltrane was a member of this ensemble. Following the demise of his band Kolax returned to Chicago to play in small groups; in 1948 he played inSonny Parker 's band. That same year he made his first recordings as a leader and singer. He had a steady gig at the Ritz Lounge in 1949, and played inJ.T. Brown 's band in 1951. This ensemble also recorded with Kolax as a singer. In 1952, Kolax backed Joe Williams on his singles forChecker Records . While playing regularly at the Paris Club in 1953, Kolax recorded behindDanny Overbea , also for Checker. That same year, Kolax and orchestra backedThe Flamingos onChance Records . Kolax also led orchestras behindMable Scott andRudy Green . Kolax recorded again under his own name forVee-Jay at the end of 1954.Kolax made regular engagements at hotels and ballrooms throughout the 1950s in Chicago and elsewhere; he also struck up a working relationship with
Sun Ra . In the second half of the decade Kolax recorded withEarl Pugh ,Brooks & Brown ,Clyde Williams , andHarvey Ellington ; in the early 1960s records followed withWilbur White ,The Chaunteurs ,Jerry Butler ,McKinley Mitchell ,Otis Rush , andThe Vondells . Kolax became anA&R rep forMarvello Records , owned byJames P. Johnson , between 1961 and 1965. Sporadic recording followed later in the 1960s both as a leader and behindWillie Mabon ,Brother Jack McDuff ,Gene Ammons , andRoosevelt Sykes , whose August 1970 recording session was Kolax's last.Kolax had a position in the Chicago Federation of Musicians, and
union rules prevented him from being able to gig and hold office at the same time. He went into complete retirement around 1981, and died ten years later after an extended period withAlzheimer's disease .References
* [http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~campber/kolax.html Exhaustive biography and discography] from
Clemson University
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