Johnny Wiggs (born John Wigginton Hyman, July 25, 1899 - October 10, 1977) was a

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 m ...

musician and band leader. Born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, United States, Wiggs started his music career on the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

. He soon adopted the cornet and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

before returning to New Orleans. His main stylistic influences were Bix Beiderbecke and

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – 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 wr ...

, who Wiggs insisted did his best work in New Orleans in the years before he moved up North and was recorded. In the late 1920s he took a job as a teacher in Louisiana and at night played in New Orleans jazz clubs. He made his first recordings as "John Hyman's Bayou Stompers" in the late 1920s. In the 1940s he again became a full-time musician, leading several bands and recording many songs. He used the pseudonym "Johnny Wiggs", as jazz was still looked down on in some circles. He became an important figure in the local traditional jazz revival. In the 1960s he performed part-time, though he remained active until the 1970s. He was a mentor to George Finola.

Pete Fountain Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr. (July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life and education LaFontaine was born to Pierre, Sr. and Madeline, in a small Creole cottage-style f ...

was one of his more famous pupils. He helped found the New Orleans Jazz Club and was a force behind the jazz revival in the 1940s.

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1899 births 1977 deaths Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz bandleaders American jazz cornetists 20th-century American conductors (music) Good Time Jazz Records artists Southland Records artists {{US-jazz-musician-stub