See 2 more photos
Bix Beiderbecke
87,976 plays (14,794 listeners)
jazz, swing, dixieland jazz, 20s, dixieland… see all
Bix Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was a notable jazz cornet player.
It was widely believed, for many years, that Beiderbecke’s real name was Leon Bismark Beiderbecke. It is now known that this — like so many other myths about Beiderbecke — is untrue. His real name was Leon Bix Beiderbecke. Bismark was a family name, reflecting the family’s German origins, but it was not given to Beiderbecke. “Bix” was a family nickname of his father and older brother, given him as a proper name.
Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa to a middle-class family. As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to the bands play on the riverboats that would come up from the south.
Partially due to frequent absences due to illness, Beiderbecke’s grades suffered. His parents felt that sending him to the exclusive Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago, would provide the attention and discipline needed to improve his schooling.
Beiderbecke’s schooling there soon suffered when the only subjects he showed avid interest in were music and sports. Bix soon began going into Chicago as often as possible to catch the hot jazz bands of the day at clubs and speakeasies around Chicago, and too often didn’t return in time or was found out the next day.
Beiderbecke was soon asked to leave the Academy due to his academic failings and extra-curricular activities in Chicago, and began his musical career in earnest.
It was widely believed, for many years, that Beiderbecke’s real name was Leon Bismark Beiderbecke. It is now known that this — like so many other myths about Beiderbecke — is untrue. His real name was Leon Bix Beiderbecke. Bismark was a family name, reflecting the family’s German origins, but it was not given to Beiderbecke. “Bix” was a family nickname of his father and older brother, given him as a proper name.
Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa to a middle-class family. As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to the bands play on the riverboats that would come up from the south.
Partially due to frequent absences due to illness, Beiderbecke’s grades suffered. His parents felt that sending him to the exclusive Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago, would provide the attention and discipline needed to improve his schooling.
Beiderbecke’s schooling there soon suffered when the only subjects he showed avid interest in were music and sports. Bix soon began going into Chicago as often as possible to catch the hot jazz bands of the day at clubs and speakeasies around Chicago, and too often didn’t return in time or was found out the next day.
Beiderbecke was soon asked to leave the Academy due to his academic failings and extra-curricular activities in Chicago, and began his musical career in earnest.
Top Albums
Top Tracks
| 1 |
 |
At The Jazz Band Ball
full track
|
||
| 2 |
|
Singin' The Blues
full track
|
||
| 3 |
|
Royal Garden Blues
full track
|
||
| 4 |
|
Jazz Me Blues
full track
|
||
| 4 |
|
Riverboat Shuffle
full track
|
||
| 6 |
|
In a Mist
full track
|
||
| 7 |
|
Sorry
full track
|
||
| 8 |
|
Louisiana
full track
|
||
| 9 |
|
Davenport Blues
full track
|
||
| 10 |
|
Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
full track
|
||
| 11 |
|
I'm Coming Virginia
full track
|
||
| 11 |
|
Clarinet Marmalade
full track
|
||
| 13 |
|
Ostrich Walk
full track
|
||
| 14 | ||||
| 15 |
|
Shoutbox
-
TibTibTib wrote:
too wicked
-
Koryfeusz wrote:
It was so difficult to find Beiderbecke in music shops in Poland! But I managed it to find him on Allegro, something like eBay. Only a few days and I can enjoy "Way down yonder"! :)
-
MilanCyrus wrote:
The best cornet player ever!
-
[deleted-user]
wrote:
Bix is my favorite jazz musician
-
SYL2Oh wrote:
The Magnificent Bix, elegance disillusioned. . . Alone at the piano playing In a Mist, this piece of a rich testament to the influence that composers of the old Europe, such as Claude Debussy & Maurice Ravel, have exerted on the American jazzman!
-
Shinmeiryuougi wrote:
A very influential and prodigious cornet player. I read about him in a book on jazz; he was extremely reserved, and could never say no to his friends. His playing would light up any venue he played at.
-
sebaxxxtian wrote:
a real 20th century music genius.
-
PopeDaniel wrote:
Too short, my friend, but such beauty you left us!
-
bigsexyshaq wrote:
27,600 plays.
-
dianashamilton wrote:
I highly *underlistened* artist here, <4000 as of this writing?
-
ryanheff wrote:
wooooooo
-
bigsexyshaq wrote:
Satchmo once said about Bix that nobody played like him. I could punch holes through my feet and rearrange my body so I could breathe through my feet and then play cornet through my feet and nobody would play like me, but Bix's playing emanated pure emotion that hit anyone who could even hear it from a distance. Also, since recording quality doesn't change, the effect IS the same today.
-
bigsexyshaq wrote:
A highly undershoutboxed artist.
Listeners
-
padraig
Top Listener
-
DU-und-ICH
Top Listener
-
Sontop
Top Listener
-
cpmcdill
Top Listener
-
GradyTripp
Top Listener
-
Koryfeusz
Top Listener
Recent Activity
- N10DMN, tiit19 and makkees added Bix Beiderbecke to their libraries. yesterday morning
- SirAlecHendrix connected Bix Beiderbecke to the group The Mothership of Jazz. Thursday evening
- knapturner, ArtDecoPhantom and ebolart added Bix Beiderbecke to their libraries. 9 days ago
- Parisblues tagged Bix Beiderbecke with ‘joesrep’ and ‘going to tear u a new one’. 11 days ago
- KTJulian and Tulipavermelha added Bix Beiderbecke to their libraries. 11 days ago
- casamarga tagged Bix Beiderbecke with ‘jazz’ and ‘usa’. last month
- casamarga and ksleeger added Bix Beiderbecke to their libraries. last month
- __-----_____--- connected Bix Beiderbecke to the group Free Jazz. last month
- xcjxcjxcj and peibolcuevas added Bix Beiderbecke to their libraries. last month
- TonySims tagged Bix Beiderbecke with ‘american’ and ‘jazz’. last month
Related Journals
-
Jazz History Timeline
by akrde |
2 May 2008 | 
2 comments
-
Can't Live Without You
by blusardine |
6 Mar 2008 | Add comment
-
Charlie
by zipping |
12 Mar 2007 | Add comment
Groups (8)
-
Addicted to Last.fm
6,193 members
-
Jazz
1,961 members
-
Free Jazz
704 members
-
Woody Allen
249 members
-
Back to the 20s
86 members
More Information
- Links
- Labels
Email Newsletter
Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on Bix Beiderbecke from Universal Music.
