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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 72

BY SENATOR PETERSON

A RESOLUTION

To commend posthumously "King" Buddy Bolden, the father of New Orleans jazz.

WHEREAS, Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden was born on September 6, 1877, to

Westmore Bolden and Alice Harrison in New Orleans, Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, many early jazz musicians credited Buddy Bolden and his bandmates with having originated what came to be known as jazz, though the term was not in common musical use until after the era of his prominence; and

WHEREAS, he is credited with creating a looser, more improvised version of ragtime and adding blues, and his band was said to be the first to have brass instruments play the blues; and

WHEREAS, he is also credited with the invention of the "Big Four", a key rhythmic innovation on the marching band beat, which gave embryonic jazz much more room for individual improvisation; and

WHEREAS, rather than imitating other cornetists, Buddy played music he heard "by ear", adapted it to his horn, and in doing so, created an exciting and novel fusion of ragtime, black sacred music, marching-band music, and rural blues; and

WHEREAS, at the tender age of six, misfortune struck the family and his father passed away; and

WHEREAS, he attended Sunday services at St. John's Baptist Church and listened to its soulful choir which affirmed his zest for music, and in 1894, he began learning to play the cornet; and

WHEREAS, music bands had become very popular and Buddy began his career playing the cornet in Papa Jack Laines' band; and

WHEREAS, during mid-1890s, he formed his own band which played cornet, guitar,

Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 72 ENROLLED bass, clarinets, trombone, and drums and named it the Buddy Bolden Band; and

WHEREAS, the band played in the infamous area of Storyville and soon became the talk of the town; and

WHEREAS, from 1900 to 1906, Buddy was met with great success and crowned the

"King of Cornet" due to his passion for music, proficiency in playing the instrument, and his loud sound and improvisational skills; and

WHEREAS, by that time, dancing had become a new form of entertainment and

Buddy's ability to integrate funky rhythms with legendary ragtime songs created a novel genre for dancing; and

WHEREAS, unable to keep up with producing unconventional and fresh music, he was met with heavy competition from other upcoming bands and his popularity began to decline; and

WHEREAS, in 1906, Buddy was diagnosed with severe depression and his performance with the Eagle Band at the New Orleans Labour Day Parade was his final public performance; and

WHEREAS, after the parade, he was taken to a state hospital in Jackson, Louisiana, where he was diagnosed with dementia praecox and was frequently taken back there for treatment until his paranoia became so intense that he was permanently admitted on

June 5, 1907, and passed away on November 4, 1931; and

WHEREAS, one of his most popular songs was called "Funky Butt", later renamed

"Buddy Bolden's Blues", which told of the sweltering heat and dancers soaked in whiskey tapping their feet at the crammed Union Sons Hall; and

WHEREAS, people all over the world recognize Buddy Bolden for his incredible talent, yet there are no traces of his work; and

WHEREAS, even though his success was short-lived, he sealed his spot as the pioneer of jazz music and earned the admiration of the city of New Orleans, the state of

Louisiana, the United States of America, and the international music community; and

WHEREAS, Buddy Bolden merits this posthumous commendation for the tremendous honor that he brought to the music community, the state of Louisiana, and to all who knew and loved him.

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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend posthumously jazz "King" Buddy Bolden for his contributions to the jazz music genre, does hereby record for posterity his outstanding achievements, and does hereby extend enduring appreciation for the tremendous pride and honor that he will forever bring to the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, the United States of America, and the international music community.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the family of Buddy Bolden.

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

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