A lively and anecdotal history of the tiny family-run studio where jazz greats from Jelly Roll Morton to Louis Armstrong made their first recordings. From 1917 to 1932, in a primitive studio next to the railroad tracks, the Gennett family of Richmond, Indiana, recorded some of the earliest performances of jazz, blues, and country greats-including Jelly Roll Morton, Big Bill Broonzy, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Gene Autry, Bix Beiderbecke, and native Hoosier Hoagy Carmichael (whose "Stardust" debuted on Gennett as a dance stomp). Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy is the first thoroughly researched account of the people and events behind this unique company and its outsized impact on American music. Alive with personal details and anecdotes from musicians, employees, and family members, it traces the colorful history of a pioneer recording company.
"[A] delightful history of Gennett Records, its parent the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana, in the 1920s, and the birth of recorded jazz . . . For jazz followers, not to be missed. A huge success."
Kirkus Reviews
"A lively and anecdotal history…"
Jazz Times
"A labor of love if ever there was one. . . . [Gennett] helped get everything started, and we are in Rick Kennedy's debt for paying it due tribute."
