Joe Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Michael Joseph "Joe" O'Sullivan (November 4, 1906 – October 13, 1971) was an American
jazz pianist.
Sullivan was the ninth child of Irish immigrant parents. He studied classical piano for 12 years and at age 17, he began to play popular music in a club where he was exposed to jazz. He graduated from the Chicago Conservatory
and was an important contributor to the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s. Sullivan's recording career began towards the end of 1927 when he joined McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans
. Other musicians in his circle included Jimmy McPartland
, Frank Teschemacher
, Bud Freeman
, Jim Lanigan
and Gene Krupa
. In 1933, he joined Bing Crosby
as his accompanist, recording and making many radio broadcasts. After suffering for two years with tuberculosis
, he briefly rejoined Bing Crosby
in 1938 and the Bob Crosby
Orchestra in 1939.
By the 1950s, Sullivan was largely forgotten, playing solo in San Francisco. Marital difficulties and excessive drinking caused Sullivan to become increasingly unreliable and unable to keep a steady job, either as band member or soloist.
The British poet (and jazz pianist) Roy Fisher
celebrated Sullivan's playing with a poem, "The Thing About Joe Sullivan", regarded by some critics as one of the best poems about jazz. Fisher also used that title for a book of his selected poems, because (he said) he felt Sullivan was a neglected master who deserved to have his name on the cover of a book.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz pianist.
Sullivan was the ninth child of Irish immigrant parents. He studied classical piano for 12 years and at age 17, he began to play popular music in a club where he was exposed to jazz. He graduated from the Chicago Conservatory
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt UniversityIt was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated...
and was an important contributor to the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s. Sullivan's recording career began towards the end of 1927 when he joined McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans
McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans
McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans was a jazz band from Chicago, led by banjo player Eddie Condon and sponsored by singer and comb player Red McKenzie. Their four recordings in December 1927 were important influences on early Chicago style jazz....
. Other musicians in his circle included Jimmy McPartland
Jimmy McPartland
James Dugald McPartland , better known as Jimmy McPartland, was an American cornetist and one of the originators of Chicago Jazz...
, Frank Teschemacher
Frank Teschemacher
Frank Teschemacher was an American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, associated with the "Austin High" gang...
, Bud Freeman
Bud Freeman
Lawrence "Bud" Freeman was a U.S. jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing the tenor saxophone, but also able at the clarinet. He had a smooth and full tenor sax style with a heavy robust swing. He was one of the most influential and important jazz tenor saxophonists of...
, Jim Lanigan
Jim Lanigan
Jim Lanigan was an American jazz bassist and tubist.Lanigan learned piano and violin as a child, and played piano and drums in the Austin High School Blue Friars before specializing on bass and tuba...
and Gene Krupa
Gene Krupa
Gene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
. In 1933, he joined Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
as his accompanist, recording and making many radio broadcasts. After suffering for two years with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, he briefly rejoined Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
in 1938 and the Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
Orchestra in 1939.
By the 1950s, Sullivan was largely forgotten, playing solo in San Francisco. Marital difficulties and excessive drinking caused Sullivan to become increasingly unreliable and unable to keep a steady job, either as band member or soloist.
The British poet (and jazz pianist) Roy Fisher
Roy Fisher
Roy Fisher is a British poet and jazz pianist. He was one of the first British writers to absorb the poetics of William Carlos Williams and the Black Mountain poets into the British poetic tradition. Fisher was a key precursor of the British Poetry Revival.Fisher was born in Handsworth, Birmingham...
celebrated Sullivan's playing with a poem, "The Thing About Joe Sullivan", regarded by some critics as one of the best poems about jazz. Fisher also used that title for a book of his selected poems, because (he said) he felt Sullivan was a neglected master who deserved to have his name on the cover of a book.
Discography
- 1933: Gin Mill Blues (Columbia Records)
- 1935: Little Rock Getaway (Decca)
- 1941: Forevermore (Commodore)
- 1953: Jazz, Vol. 9: Piano (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
) - 1953: Hangover Blues (Brunswick)
- 1966: The Asch Recordings, 1939 to 1947 - Vol. 1: Blues, Gospel, and Jazz (Folkways)
- 1973: The Musical Moods of Joe Sullivan: Piano (Folkways)
- New Solos By An Old Master (Riverside RecordsRiverside RecordsRiverside Records was a United States record label specializing in jazz. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer under his firm Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. in 1953, the label was a major presence in the jazz record industry for a decade...
)