Beth L Barnett
Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald
Both had difficult beginnings.
Chick Webb was born around 1909. Early on, he contracted tuberculosis which effected his spine. It hampered his growth and caused his back to be badly deformed. He learned percussion as a child playing on the… Continue reading
FATS WALLER
It is said Fats Waller, the composer of such famous songs as I Cant Give You Anything But Love, Baby, and Honey Suckle Rose, played in the 30’s at Kansas City’s Blue Room on 18th and Vine.… Continue reading
The Making of a Jazz Town
If it wasn’t for Tom Pendergast, Kansas City might not have been a jazz Mecca, nor would it have been known as The Paris of the Plains. Tom learned the value of liquor from the ground up having worked as… Continue reading
Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra
As a boy in the early 1900’s, Carleton Coon (Coony), spent time around the Missouri River where he heard black men singing as they worked. He loved their songs, their music, and their rhythm, and taught himself to play bones—later… Continue reading
FAIRYLAND PARK
My grandfather loved roller coasters, and there were three of them at Fairyland Park in Kansas City, Mo. There, from 1923 to 1977, people went to ride the rides, eat popcorn and hotdogs, and dance. Because of the sweltering Kansas… Continue reading
