Joseph Hilton "Nappy" Lamare (June 14, 1905 – May 8, 1988) 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 m ...

banjoist, guitarist, and vocalist.

Music career

Lamare was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States. He got his nickname from his friend, Eddie Miller, because he had curly hair. He started playing trumpet, then dropped it for banjo when he was thirteen. Weeks later, he was a member of the Midnight Serenaders. In his teens he worked with

Sharkey Bonano Joseph Gustaf "Sharkey" Bonano (April 9, 1904 – March 27, 1972), also known as Sharkey Banana or Sharkey Bananas, was an American jazz trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist. His musical abilities were sometimes overlooked because of his lo ...

Monk Hazel Arthur Frank Hazel (August 15, 1903, Harvey, Louisiana - March 5, 1968, New Orleans, Louisiana), better known as Monk Hazel, was a jazz drummer and cornetist.Rye, Howard; Barry Kernfeld."Hazel, Monk".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Pres ...

, and Johnny Wiggs and, in 1925, toured in California with Johnny Bayersdorffer. He recorded for the first time two years later with the New Orleans Owls. He moved to New York City, playing mostly guitar instead of banjo. He became of a member of the

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

orchestra and sang on "Two Tickets to Georgia" and “Got the Jitters” in 1933. After Pollack left,

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

took over the orchestra in 1934, and Lamare remained with him until 1942, performing in records and films, sometimes as a vocalist. After the orchestra dissolved again, he moved to California and spent the rest of his career playing

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 ...

as leader of the Louisiana Levee Loungers, then the Straw Hat Strutters in the 1940s and 1950s. The Strutters appeared in the movie ''Hollywood Rhythm'' and on the weekly TV variety show ''Dixie Showboat''. While heading the Riverboat Dandies, he injured his

pinky finger The little finger, or pinkie, also known as the baby finger, fifth digit, or pinky finger, is the most ulnar and smallest digit of the human hand, and next to the ring finger. Etymology The word "pinkie" is derived from the Dutch word ''pi ...

and played bass guitar for five years until his finger healed. The latter part of his career he spent in reunions with Bob Crosby, performing at

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

, and touring with the

World's Greatest Jazz Band The World's Greatest Jazz Band was an all-star jazz ensemble active from 1968 to 1978. Dick Gibson founded the group at his sixth Jazz Party, an annual event. The group performed mostly Dixieland jazz and recorded extensively. It was co-led by ...

. He played guitar, banjo, and sang until his death at the age of 82.

Discography

As leader

* ''Hilton "Nappy" Lamare and His Rendezvous Ballroom Orchestra'' (Fairmount, 1947) * ''Riverboat Dandies'' with Ray Bauduc (Capitol, 1957) * ''Two-Beat Generation'' with Ray Bauduc (Capitol, 1959)

As sideman

, ''South Rampart Street Parade'' (GRP, 1992) *

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

, ''Little Jazz'' (Columbia, 1989) * John Fahey, ''Of Rivers and Religion'' (Reprise, 1972) *

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was an American jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet, and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Hackett was a featured soloist o ...

, ''Coast Concert'' (Capitol, 1956) *

Johnny Maddox Johnny Maddox (August 4, 1927 – November 27, 2018) was an American ragtime pianist, historian, and collector of music memorabilia. Life and career John Sheppard Maddox Jr. was born in 1927 in Gallatin, Tennessee. His interest in the ragtime e ...

, ''Dixieland Blues'' (Dot, 1958) *

Wingy Manone Joseph Matthews "Wingy" Manone (February 13, 1900 – July 9, 1982) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader. His recordings included " Tar Paper Stomp", "Nickel in the Slot", "Downright Disgusted Blues", "There'll Come a ...

, ''Wingy Manone Vol. 1'' (RCA, 1969) * Eddie Miller, ''A Portrait of Eddie'' (Blue Angel, 1970) *

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 19 ...

, ''King of the Blues Trombone'' (Epic/Columbia, 1963)

References

External links

Nappy Lamare recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamare, Nappy 1905 births 1988 deaths Guitarists from Louisiana Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz banjoists American jazz guitarists American jazz singers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers