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for the entirety of the conflict. At the fort, he developed a reputation for being stubbornly independent, often disobeying the Army's strict code of conduct. As a result, his superior officers would call him
Jaybird, a nickname associated with him for the rest of his life. During this time Coleman
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to manage his touring schedule and expand his audience to major southern cities. Typically, Coleman's performances featured little or no accompaniment in a style rooted in the work songs of his childhood. He particularly favored the high-pitched E and D harps and played them with a heavily choked
226:, a popular tent show, making appearances throughout the South. Returning to Bessemer, Coleman married a popular local singer, and the couple supported themselves by performing as a duo. The Colemans were regular churchgoers and were renowned in the black community for their renditions of
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songs. At age 12, he was introduced to the harmonica, in large part teaching himself, and was encouraged by his parents to hone his skills as an alternative to their wearying occupation. He performed locally for small wages at dance halls and parties.
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as a solo performer and as a member of the
Bessemer Blues Pickers. His records were met with commercial success, but he asserted he was never compensated for his work. Despite his treatment by white-owned record companies, he allowed a charter of the
230:. As a blues musician, Coleman was popular with black and white audiences alike. Occasionally he would play a harmonica as he strolled through the streets, drawing a crowd that followed him.
259:. In 1930, he recorded "Coffee Grinder Blues" for Columbia, which, in a dispute with the label over payment, he blocked from wider release. It is his rarest record.
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harmonica player, vocalist, and guitarist. He was a popular musical attraction throughout
Alabama and recorded several sides in the late-1920s and early-1930s.
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Coleman continued to perform on street corners in
Alabama throughout the 1930s and 1940s. By the end of the 1940s, he disappeared from the music scene.
251:. In the 1930s, Coleman was loosely associated with the Birmingham Jug Band, a group he helped form, and recorded with them in sessions for
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211:, he briefly returned to Gainesville, working for a few months as a farm labourer, before relocating with his younger brother, Joe, to
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Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). "Jaybird
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first performed for large crowds as he entertained his fellow soldiers. After his
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Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy
Breathers: The Evolution of the People's Instrument
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Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy
Breathers: The Evolution of the People's Instrument
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in tours across
Alabama. He then traveled for two years with the
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All Music Guide to the Blues: The
Definitive Guide to the Blues
186:, United States. While he and his three brothers endured hard
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Complete
Recorded Works in Chronological Order: 1927–1930
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In 1922, Coleman teamed up with the singer and guitarist
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166:(May 20, 1896 – January 28, 1950) was an American
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473:Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre
278:Jaybird Coleman & the Birmingham Jug Band,
368:R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country
341:. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 159–160.
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247:cross-harp technique, marked by a rapid hand
550:Biography on Alabama Music Hall of Fame site
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585:20th-century African-American male singers
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265:He died of cancer on January 28, 1950, in
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525:. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 123.
447:. Rowman Littlefield. pp. 139–140.
303:Komara, Edward; Lee, Peter (July 2004).
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560:Illustrated Jaybird Coleman discography
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498:"Jaybird Coleman (1927–1930) – Review"
478:. Cambridge University Press. p.
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233:In 1926, Coleman began recording for
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590:20th-century American male singers
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198:In 1914, upon the outbreak of the
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645:People from Gainesville, Alabama
615:American blues harmonica players
178:Coleman was born to a family of
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650:People from Tuskegee, Alabama
630:Deaths from cancer in Alabama
595:20th-century American singers
394:"Jaybird Coleman – Biography"
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600:African-American guitarists
423:Jaybird Coleman (1927–1930)
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625:American street performers
309:. Routledge. p. 218.
237:, Silvertone Records, and
635:Harmonica blues musicians
605:American blues guitarists
427:. Document Records. 1993.
164:Burl C. "Jaybird" Coleman
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680:Columbia Records artists
655:Piedmont blues musicians
610:American male guitarists
670:Gennett Records artists
665:Guitarists from Alabama
102:Instrumentalist, singer
620:American blues singers
555:Profile on Answers.com
371:. Abrams. p. 26.
306:The Blues Encyclopedia
37:Background information
468:Oliver, Paul (2001).
365:(November 26, 2014).
224:Rabbit Foot Minstrels
675:Okeh Records artists
640:Singers from Alabama
184:Gainesville, Alabama
65:Gainesville, Alabama
441:Field, Kim (1993).
392:Erlewine, Stephen.
335:Field, Kim (2000).
239:Black Patti Records
209:military discharge
532:978-0-87930-736-3
378:978-1-61312-252-5
348:978-0-8154-1020-1
316:978-1-135-95832-9
267:Tuskegee, Alabama
213:Bessemer, Alabama
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110:Harmonica, guitar
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253:OKeh Records
244:Ku Klux Klan
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228:gospel songs
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116:Years active
77:(1950-01-28)
62:May 20, 1896
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580:1950 deaths
575:1896 births
273:Compilation
137:Black Patti
569:Categories
500:. AllMusic
287:References
141:Silvertone
58:1896-05-20
43:Birth name
504:August 6,
403:August 6,
363:Crumb, R.
174:Biography
398:AllMusic
150:Columbia
249:vibrato
132:Gennett
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125:Labels
89:Genres
527:ISBN
506:2015
449:ISBN
405:2015
373:ISBN
343:ISBN
311:ISBN
255:and
192:folk
145:OKeh
72:Died
52:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
