King Oliver
Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 (other sources cite 1884 or 1885) – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wrote many tunes still played today, including "Dippermouth Blues", "Sweet Like This", "Canal Street Blues", and "Doctor Jazz". He was the mentor and teacher of Louis Armstrong. His influence was such that Armstrong claimed, "if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today." |
Birth and Death Data: Born December 19, 1881 (New Orleans), Died April 10, 1938 (Savannah)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1939
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, cornet, composer, trumpet, director, songwriter, arranger, trombone
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-100 of 177 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKeh | 8486 | 10-in. | October 1923 | Working man blues | King Oliver’s Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
| OKeh | 8487 | 10-in. | October 1923 | Mabel's dream | King Oliver’s Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| OKeh | 8964 | 10-in. | Feb. 1925 | Morning dove blues | Joe Oliver ; Hersal Thomas ; Sippie Wallace | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | 8965 | 10-in. | Feb. 1925 | Devil dance blues | Joe Oliver ; Hersal Thomas ; Sippie Wallace | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | 9491 | 10-in. | 11/14/1925 | Sugar foot stomp | Merritt Brunies ; Friars Inn Orchestra [Merritt Brunies] | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | 9733 | 10-in. | 6/17/1926 | Snag it | Al Turk's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-72816 | 10-in. | 9/12/1924 | Kiss me sweet | Butterbeans & Susie ; Joe Oliver ; Clarence Williams | Female-male vocal duet, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | S-72817 | 10-in. | 9/12/1924 | Construction gang | Butterbeans & Susie ; Joe Oliver ; Clarence Williams | Female-male vocal duet, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400818 | 10-in. | 6/23/1928 | Lazy mama | Clarence Williams Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400819 | 10-in. | 6/23/1928 | Mountain City blues | Clarence Williams Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400824 | 10-in. | 6/26/1928 | Easy spring blues | May Kelly | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400825 | 10-in. | 6/26/1928 | Fisherman blues | May Kelly | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400828 | 10-in. | 6/26/1928 | Empty bed blues | Elizabeth Johnson | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400829 | 10-in. | 6/26/1928 | Empty bed blues | Elizabeth Johnson | Female vocal solo, with cornet and piano | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W400967 | 10-in. | 6/28/1928 | West End blues | Louis Armstrong ; Hot Five | Jazz/dance sextet, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| OKeh | W401083 | 10-in. | 8/29/1928 | West End blues | Hazel Smith | Female vocal solo, with trumpet and piano | instrumentalist, trumpet, composer | |
| OKeh | W401084 | 10-in. | 8/29/1928 | Get up off your knees | Hazel Smith | Female vocal solo, with trumpet and piano | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| OKeh | W401114 | 10-in. | 9/12/1928 | My handy man | Clarence Williams’ Blue Five ; Victoria Spivey | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W401115 | 10-in. | 9/12/1928 | Organ grinder blues | Clarence Williams’ Blue Five ; Victoria Spivey | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W401346 | 10-in. | 11/20/1928 | Tell me woman blues | Texas Alexander | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance trio | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W401347 | 10-in. | 11/20/1928 | 'Frisco train blues | Texas Alexander | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance trio | instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W401390 | 10-in. | 11/23/1928 | In the bottle blues | Clarence Williams’ Novelty Four | Jazz/ dance quartet, with male vocal solo | songwriter, instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W401391 | 10-in. | 11/23/1928 | What ya want me to do? | Clarence Williams’ Novelty Four | Jazz/dance quartet, with male vocal solo | songwriter, instrumentalist, cornet | |
| OKeh | W401466 | 10-in. | 12/19/1928 | Watchin' the clock | Clarence Williams Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | W401842 | 10-in. | 5/1/1929 | Jet black blues | Blind Willie Dunn ; Gin Bottle Four | Jazz dance ensemble, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, cornet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Oliver, King," accessed May 3, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104809.
Oliver, King. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 3, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104809.
"Oliver, King." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 May 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: King Oliver
Discogs: King Oliver
Allmusic: King Oliver
IMDb: King Oliver
Britannica: King Oliver
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Oliver, King, 1885-1938 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85031479
Wikidata: King Oliver - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q313368
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/49409017
MusicBrainz: King Oliver - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/744fa1ae-051c-463c-957a-25a4ddc01c2f
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.