Volly de Faut

Voltaire "Volly" De Faut (March 14, 1904 – May 29, 1973) was an American jazz reed player.

De Faut was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, but his family moved to Chicago when he was six. He played with Sig Meyers in the early 1920s and then spent time in the New Orleans Rhythm Kings before joining Art Kassel. His first recordings were made with Muggsy Spanier in 1924; he recorded with Jelly Roll Morton the following year. Later in the 1920s he played with Merritt Brunies and Jean Goldkette, and played for a time in Detroit. During the early 1920s, he also played with The Bucktown Five.

Around the end of the decade De Faut held several positions in theater orchestras in Chicago, and also worked as a studio musician. He started his own dog breeding business but abandoned it to join the military and play in bands there. He returned to Chicago in the middle of the 1940s, playing with Bud Jacobson and working extensively on the local jazz scene. In the 1950s he moved to Davenport, Iowa, then returned to Chicago in 1965. In the last two decades of his life De Faut worked often with Art Hodes, including on many of his recordings for Delmark Records.

Birth and Death Data: Born (Little Rock (seat of Pulaski County, and capital and largest city of Arkansas, United States)), Died May 29, 1973 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924

Roles Represented in DAHR: clarinet

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

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Gennett 11766 10-in. 2/25/1924 Steady roll blues Bucktown Five Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, clarinet  
Gennett 11767 10-in. 2/25/1924 Mobile blues Bucktown Five Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, clarinet  
Gennett 11769 10-in. 2/25/1924 Chicago blues Bucktown Five Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, clarinet  
Gennett 11770 10-in. 2/25/1924 Hot mittens (A stomp) Bucktown Five Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, clarinet  
Gennett 11771 10-in. 2/25/1924 Buddy's habits Bucktown Five Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, clarinet  
Gennett 11772 10-in. 2/25/1924 Someday, sweetheart Bucktown Five Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, clarinet  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Faut, Volly de," accessed January 4, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/367213.

Faut, Volly de. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/367213.

"Faut, Volly de." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 4 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/367213

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.