Jackie Cain, Singer, 1928, Milwaukee, Wis
Jackie Cain began her professional singing career in 1946 when, fresh out of high school, she moved to Chicago. It was there that she met the pianist/singer in the George Davis quartet, Roy Kral. It was not love at first sight. " Roy actually did not want me to sing with the group, but the band manager, who introduced us, prevailed. " she reported. After hearing Jackie sing, and realizing how well they complimented each other, Roy changed his mind. They were married in 1949 and remained together until 2002 when Roy died. Their specialty was taking popular songs and performing them in a sophistocated bop style filled with scat riffs, known as vocalese. They found a way to combine bop singing with cabaret. In 1948 they teamed up with Charlie Ventura's band, doing what they called "Bop For The People". The sound was a hugh success in the late '40s and through most of the '50s. Today , Jackie occasionally performs as a single, and still delights audiences.
Eddie Edwards, Trombone, 1891, new Orleans, La
Eddie began his music studies with the violin when only ten years old and switched to the trombone about five years later. In his late teens he played with various local bands, then worked for a short time with Stein's Dixieland Jass Band, led by Johnny Stein. After leaving the Dixieland group, Eddie became one of the founding members of The Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The band's success was in large part due to Eddie's strong ensemble work. He also composed, along with other members of the group, a number of pieces that later became Dixieland standards, such as "Tiger Rag", "Fidgety Feet", and "Original Dixieland One Step". Except for a short period when he served in the army (1918), and then played in a band led by the pianist and comedian Jimmy Durante, Edwards continued with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band until around 1925. He dropped out of the music field for a prolonged period, but in the mid '30s he returned to work with Larry Shields in several revivals of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Eddie Edwards died in 1963.
