A New Orleans jazz stalwart during the era of the great depression, George Lewis later found fame in the 1950s when a revival of interest in the city's traditional music scene highlighted his elegant, virtuoso clarinet style. Born into a family who first came to America on slave ships from Senegal, he taught himself to play and started out performing in the 1920s with local acts such as Black Eagle Band, Buddy Petit, Kid Ory and the Olympia Orchestra.

Times were tough and he worked a day job on the docks to make ends meet, but when folklorists and jazz historians such as Alan Lomax enticed flamboyant trumpet player Bunk Johnson out of retirement in the 1940s, Lewis was recruited to join his band and his reputation grew. It led to him forming his own groups in the 1950s and his signature tune 'Burgundy Street Blues' rang around the Bourbon Street bars and from the local radio stations, whilst his albums 'American Music' and 'Jazz Funeral at New Orleans' spread his popularity to Europe and the UK. His appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival with trombonist Turk Murphy was another memorable recording and his upbeat, melodic sound went on to influence players such as Acker Bilk, Woody Allen, Butch Thompson and Sammy Rimington. Later albums 'Blues from the Bayou', 'At the San Jancinto Hall' and 'Reunion' with pianist Don Ewell, cemented his reputation as one of the great sounds of authentic New Orleans jazz, before his death in 1968 aged 68.

George Lewis

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