Edward McIntosh "Snoozer" Quinn (1907 – April 21, 1949) 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 major ...

guitarist who was admired by his fellow musicians but who left few recordings.

Career

Quinn was born Edward McIntosh Quinn in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in

Bogalusa Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city, town, place equivalent reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolit ...

, Louisiana. At an early age he could play guitar, mandolin, and violin. In his early teens he performed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

. He graduated from high school in 1924. He performed with the Paul English Traveling Shows and Peck's Bad Boys led by

Peck Kelley John Dickson "Peck" Kelley (October 22, 1898 – December 26, 1980) was an American jazz pianist. He was best known for his 1920s band Peck's Bad Boys, which included Jack Teagarden, and Pee Wee Russell. Early life John Dickson "Peck" Kelley w ...

, in addition to Claude Blanchard, Mart Britt, the St. Louis Rhythm Kings, and the Louisiana Ramblers. Quinn was hired by

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

in New Orleans after Whiteman heard him playing backstage. He recorded with the Whiteman Orchestra, but he can hardly be heard. While playing for vocalist

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

in the 1930s, Quinn was given the nickname "Snoozer". Although he did not record with Crosby, he recorded with vocalist

Bee Palmer Beatrice C. "Bee" Palmer (11 September 1894 – 22 December 1967) was an American singer and dancer born in Chicago, Illinois. Palmer first attracted significant attention as one of the first exponents of the "shimmy" dance in the late 1910s. ...

and country singer

Jimmie Davis James Houston Davis (September 11, 1899 – November 5, 2000) was an American politician, singer and songwriter of both sacred and popular songs. Davis was elected for two nonconsecutive terms from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964 as the ...

. Back in New Orleans, Quinn contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. In 1948,

Johnny Wiggs Johnny Wiggs (born John Wigginton Hyman, July 25, 1899 - October 10, 1977) was a jazz musician and band leader. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Wiggs started his music career on the violin. He soon adopted the cornet and moved ...

brought a recording machine and a trumpet to the hospital and persuaded him to play. Quinn died six months later. Many years passed before his performances were released by Fat Cat Jazz on his only album, ''The Legendary Snoozer Quinn''.

References

External links

SnoozerQuinn.com
Website dedicated to Snoozer Quinn

Biography with audio examples of his recordings {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Snoozer 1907 births 1949 deaths Jazz musicians from Mississippi People from McComb, Mississippi 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century American violinists American jazz guitarists American mandolinists Dixieland banjoists Dixieland violinists Guitarists from Louisiana Tuberculosis deaths in Louisiana