Jay McShann
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James Columbus (Jay or Hootie) McShann (born in 1909 or January 12, 1916) is an American blues and swing pianist, bandleader, and singer.
He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1936, and in 1939 he organized his own big band, which later featured Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, and Walter Brown. Although its book included both swing and blues numbers, the band played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was "Confessin' The Blues". The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the US Army in 1944, but re-formed when he was discharged the same year.
Sometime in the later 1940s McShann started to lead small groups featuring Jimmy Witherspoon; Witherspoon started recording with McShann in 1945. McShann then played in obscurity until 1969, when he became popular as a singer as well as a pianist, often performing with Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his '90's (whatever his actual birthdate), McShann still performs occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area.
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