Theodore "Steve" Brown (January 13, 1890September 15, 1965) 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 ...

musician best known for his work on

string bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

. Like many New Orleans bassists, he played both string bass and

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

professionally. Brown was the younger brother of trombonist Tom Brown. In his youth he played with his brother's band in New Orleans. Because of his devil-may-care personality he was nicknamed "Steve" after Steve Brodie, a man who became famous for jumping off the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River ...

on a dare. Few musicians knew Brown's real name. Brown went north to Chicago in 1915 with his brother Tom in the first wave of jazz musicians to go to the city. He was a member of 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 ...

in the early 1920s, where his slap style on bass attracted attention. In 1924 he joined

Jean Goldkette John Jean Goldkette (March 18, 1893 – March 24, 1962) was a jazz pianist and bandleader. Life Goldkette was reportedly born on March 18, 1893 in Valenciennes, France,Russel B. Nye (1976). Music in the Twenties: The Jean Goldkette Orchestra ...

's Orchestra, with whom he remained until 1927, creating the first recordings of the style. In 1927, he joined the top-paying band in the United States,

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, W ...

's Orchestra. Around 1930 he settled in Detroit, Michigan, which would be his home for the rest of his life. He led his own band and continued playing with traditional jazz and

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

bands into the 1950s.

Wellman Braud Wellman Braud (January 25, 1891 – October 29, 1966) was an American jazz upright bassist. His family sometimes spelled their last name "Breaux", pronounced "Bro". Born in St. James Parish, Louisiana, Braud settled in New Orleans, in his ear ...

, bass player with the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

orchestra, once called Brown the greatest of all bass players.

References

1890 births 1965 deaths Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists 20th-century American musicians Slap bassists (double bass) 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians New Orleans Rhythm Kings members Victor Recording Orchestra members {{Chicago-stub