Jesse Stone has been called the pioneer of rock and roll. He was a classic of this musical genre and did more for him than anyone else. The musician has lived a long and very bright life.
Biography
Jesse Albert Stone was born on November 16, 1901 in America in the state of Kansas. He spent his childhood there. He lived and grew up in a musical family. His parents played music and put on a minstrel show. Thanks to this, the family earned a living.
Already at the age of five, the boy took part in family performances. The essence of these American shows was that the artists entertained the audience with dance, song and music. They also made them laugh with humorous sketches that depicted and criticized people of African descent.
Jesse grew up as a talented boy. He constantly studied music, played the piano.
Career
At the age of 19 (1920) he forms a jazz group. He writes songs himself. He does a lot of arrangement. The legendary American saxophonist Coleman Hawkins played in his group.
Stone works very hard. He often tours with his group called "Blue Serenade". He himself participates in it as a pianist. From 1927 to 1930, the musician collaborated with the famous blues singer Julia Lee. In 1930, in Kansas City, he organized his own orchestra, which gained great fame in America and abroad.
The composer worked a lot under the pseudonyms Chuck Calhoun and Charles Calhoun. His famous twelve bar blues, written in 1954, was created under the name Calhoun. Jesse Stone was involved in more than just arranging and songwriting. He was known as a talented writer, original artist.
For two years (1941-1942) Stone worked as Music Director for the women's jazz group International Rhythm Lovers. It consisted only of girls. Many of them were famous jazz singers in the country. This popular group of the time proved that women's jazz also has a right to exist.
Late career
In the sixties, Stone continues to work as an arranger, leads the orchestra. She writes songs to the famous singer of that period Laverne Baker (hit “Bumble Bee”). Until his retirement (1961), he fruitfully worked in various musical directions, both under pseudonyms and under his own name. After retirement, he continued to write songs ("Big Mouth Blues"). He played the piano at his wife's concerts.
Jesse Stone has received numerous awards from the American music community (Ahmet Ertegun Award) for his work. He went down in the history of the country as the founder of rock and roll.
Personal life
Very little is known about Stone's personal life. At almost 75 years old, having moved to New York, he married a second time to blues singer Evelyn McGee, with whom he lived for 20 years.
He passed away in 1999 after a long illness.
