Joe Sanders
Encyclopedia
Joseph L. "Joe" Sanders was an American jazz
pianist, singer, and bandleader associated with Kansas City jazz
for most of his career.
Sanders was best known for co-leading the Coon-Sanders' Nighthawks along with Carleton Coon
(1894–1932). The pair formed the group in 1920 in Kansas City
under the name Coon-Sanders Novelty Orchestra, broadcast for the first time on radio the following year, and became known as the Nighthawks because of their frequent appearances on late-night radio. They recorded in Chicago
in 1924 and held a residency at the Blackhawk club in that city from 1926. The ensemble toured as a Midwestern territory band
, and after Coon's death Sanders continued to lead the band under his own name.
Sanders worked mostly in Hollywood studios in the 1940s, and occasionally led performances at the Blackhawk once again. He was a vocalist for the Kansas City Opera in the 1950s.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist, singer, and bandleader associated with Kansas City jazz
Kansas City Jazz
Kansas City Jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the 1930s and marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop...
for most of his career.
Sanders was best known for co-leading the Coon-Sanders' Nighthawks along with Carleton Coon
Carleton Coon
Carleton Coon may refer to:*Carleton Coon, American jazz musician, co-founder of the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra*Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist...
(1894–1932). The pair formed the group in 1920 in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
under the name Coon-Sanders Novelty Orchestra, broadcast for the first time on radio the following year, and became known as the Nighthawks because of their frequent appearances on late-night radio. They recorded in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1924 and held a residency at the Blackhawk club in that city from 1926. The ensemble toured as a Midwestern territory band
Territory band
Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, 6 or 7 nights a week at venues like VFW halls, Elks Lodges,...
, and after Coon's death Sanders continued to lead the band under his own name.
Sanders worked mostly in Hollywood studios in the 1940s, and occasionally led performances at the Blackhawk once again. He was a vocalist for the Kansas City Opera in the 1950s.
Further reading
- John ChiltonJohn ChiltonJohn James Chilton is a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts....
, Who's Who of Jazz. - Colton/Kunstadt, "Encore: The Story of Coon-Sanders". Record Research 13 (1957), p. 3
- D.A. Johnson, "The Happy-go-lucky Sounds of Coon-Sanders Nighthawks". Mississippi Rag i/3 (1974), p. 7.