Lionel Charles Ferbos (July 17, 1911 – July 19, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. At 103, Ferbos was the oldest jazz musician in New Orleans. A native New Orleanian whose career centered almost exclusively in the city, he appeared weekly at th
Palm Court Jazz Cafe
a French Quarter club, where he led the Palm Court Jazz Band on Saturday nights. During his long career, Ferbos worked with some of the giants of early traditional jazz, including Captain John Handy and

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

, and, in later years, with widely recognized contemporary revivals of the old style music like the original stage band of the off-Broadway hit ''One Mo' Time''. He played at all of th
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals

Early life

Lionel Ferbos was born on July 17, 1911, in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Creole 7th Ward. He said he had asthma and his parents would not let him take up a wind instrument, but when he was 15 he saw

Phil Spitalny Phil Spitalny (November 7, 1890 – October 11, 1970) was a Russian Empire-born American musician, music critic, composer, and bandleader heard often on radio during the 1930s and 1940s. He rose to fame after he led an all-female orchestra, a nov ...

's all-girl orchestra at the Orpheum and argued that he ought to be able to do anything a girl could do. So he got an old cornet at a pawn shop on

Rampart Street Rampart Street (french: rue du Rempart) is a historic avenue located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The section of Rampart Street downriver from Canal Street is designated as North Rampart Street, which forms the inland or northern border of the Fr ...

and began lessons with Professor Paul Chaligny, an exacting Creole task-master who would not let him blow the horn until he knew how to read music and had mastered the rudiments of theory. After a year with Chaligny, Ferbos moved on to study with noted musicians

Albert Snaer Albert Snaer (January 29, 1902 – 1962) was an American jazz trumpeter. Snaer was born, in New Orleans, Louisiana and there studied with Paul Chaligny. He worked on riverboats on the Mississippi River in the 1920s, playing in the bands of Fate M ...

and Eugene Ware.

Early career

Ferbos' first professional music jobs were in the early 1930s with society jazz bands like the Starlight Serenaders and the Moonlight Serenaders, performing at well-known New Orleans venues like the Pythian Roof Garden, Pelican Club, San Jacinto Hall, Autocrat Club, Southern Yacht Club and the New Orleans Country Club. In 1932, he joined Captain Handy's Louisiana Shakers and played the Astoria and toured the Gulf Coast. He later backed blues singer Mamie Smith while playing with the

Fats Pichon Walter Gabriel Pichon (April 3, 1906 – February 25, 1967) professionally known as Fats Pichon, was an American jazz pianist, singer, bandleader, and songwriter. Biography Pichon was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and began playin ...

Band. During the Depression, he worked as a laborer in New Orleans City Park for the Works Progress Administration, then played first trumpet in the WPA jazz band, of which he is the last surviving member. In the 1940s, he played on

Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from wes ...

at the Happy Landing and Mama Lou's, and in the '50s he worked with Harold Dejan at the Melody Inn, where he recorded with the "Mighty Four." In the '60s he played with Herbert Leary's Orchestra. Because of his ability to read sheet music, Ferbos found himself in demand. Although he wasn't a "hot player", as he described it, he said he never had to scramble for work because people came to him with musical offers. When

Danny Barker Daniel Moses Barker (January 13, 1909 – March 13, 1994) was an American jazz musician, vocalist, and author from New Orleans. He was a rhythm guitarist for Cab Calloway, Lucky Millinder and Benny Carter during the 1930s. One of Barker's ea ...

founded the now-famous Fairview Baptist band to train a young generation of New Orleans musicians, Ferbos was asked to write out all their charts.

Later career

Until he reached retirement age, Ferbos kept his day job, so his musical work was mostly in and around New Orleans. During his career he held a job at Haspel's Clothing Factory in the early 1930s. It was here that he met a seamstress, Marguerite Gilyot, who became his wife. She died in January 2009 after 75 years of marriage. In the 1940s, Ferbos went to work in his father's sheet-metal business and became a master metal worker. His artistry as a tinsmith was featured in the acclaimed exhibition on Creole building arts at the

New Orleans Museum of Art The New Orleans Museum of Art (or NOMA) is the oldest fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans. It is situated within City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue, and near the terminus of the ...

. In the 1970s, he dropped out of the hit musical ''

One Mo' Time One More Time may refer to: Film and television * ''One More Time'' (1931 film), a Merrie Melodies cartoon * ''One More Time'' (1970 film), a film by Jerry Lewis * ''One More Time'', a 1974 TV special with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and other ...

'' when it moved to New York, rather than leave town. However, he made eight tours of Europe with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, formed to revive the old music unearthed in the jazz archives at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

. He was trumpeter with the Ragtime on the soundtrack of the 1978 movie ''

Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...

''. Ferbos won the 2003 Big Easy Lifetime Achievement Award and was frequently called on to tell about his experiences in the Depression, as well as in music and with tinsmithing, on panels and in history classes. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina forced him to

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Plaquemines Parish (; French: ''Paroisse de Plaquemine'', Louisiana French: ''Paroisse des Plaquemines'', es, Parroquia de Caquis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 23,515 at the 2020 census, the pari ...

, where he lived with relatives until he could return to his native New Orleans. Despite his long career, Lionel Ferbos made few early recordings. After he joined the Ragtime and the Palm Court bands, he was recorded on several CDs on the GHB label. He was also featured on other recent recordings with New Orleans headliners on specialty labels.

Personal life

Lionel Ferbos had a daughter, Sylvia Schexnayder, and was pre-deceased by wife Marguerite Gilyot Ferbos and son Lionel Ferbos Jr. Ferbos died on the morning of July 19, 2014, at his home in New Orleans. He was 103 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferbos, Lionel Dixieland trumpeters American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Jazz musicians from New Orleans 1911 births 2014 deaths American centenarians Tinsmiths American male jazz musicians Men centenarians

Early life

Early career

Later career

Personal life

See also

References