Husk O'Hare (October 27, 1896 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

– April 19, 1970 in Chicago) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

bandleader and impresario active during the 1920s and 1930s. O'Hare served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and was discharged in 1921. Following this he was a booking manager for the Chicago-based group Friar's Society Orchestra, who would later be known as the

New Orleans Rhythm Kings The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK) were one of the most influential jazz bands of the early to mid-1920s. The band included New Orleans and Chicago musicians who helped shape Chicago jazz and influenced many younger jazz musicians. History The ...

. Soon afterwards he formed his own ensemble, the Blue Friars, which he later called O'Hare's Red Dragons and O'Hare's Wolverines.Leo Walker, The Big Band Almanac. Ward Ritchie Press, 1978, p. 323. O'Hare had bought the rights to the name Wolverines from

Dick Voynow Richard F. "Dick" Voynow (c. 1900 – September 15, 1944) was a jazz pianist and composer. He was a member and leader of The Wolverines. Life and career Voynow replaced Dud Mecum on piano in The Wolverines during the band's booking at the Stock ...

, who was a member of The Wolverines, and O'Hare performed under this name for several years, playing as a territory band in the mid-Atlantic and Ohio. His sidemen in the 1920s included

Muggsy Spanier Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist based in Chicago. He was a member of the Bucktown Five, pioneers of the "Chicago style" that straddled traditional Dixieland jazz and swing ...

Floyd O'Brien Floyd O'Brien (May 7, 1904 – November 26, 1968) was an American jazz trombonist. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. O'Brien first played in Chicago in the 1920s with the Austin High School Gang; later in the decade he played with ...

, and

Jim Lanigan Jim Lanigan (January 30, 1902 - April 9, 1983) was an American jazz bassist and tubist. Lanigan learned piano and violin as a child, and played piano and drums in the Austin Community Academy High School, Austin High School Blue Friars before sp ...

. He recorded for

Gennett Records Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and H ...

and

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

and led bands for most of the 1930s, in addition to managing dozens of other ensembles. In the early 1940s he left music to work in manufacturing.

References

;Sources *Charles A. Sengstock: ''That toddlin' town: Chicago's white dance bands and orchestras, 1900-1950''. Chicago: University of Illinois Press 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohare, Husk American jazz bandleaders Musicians from Chicago 1896 births 1970 deaths Jazz musicians from Illinois The Wolverines (jazz band) members New Orleans Rhythm Kings members