Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton
October 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941
Morton was a pivotal figure in American music - throughout his life contributing as a ragtime musician, composer and band leader.
Morton claimed to have been the inventor of Jazz in 1902 - a claim that haunted his legend during his lifetime and well beyond. Since he was only 12 in 1902 this only served to increase the skepticism. Ironically, Morton need not have used such hyperbole to burnish his achievements because his legend and words would live on and his place as one of the "founding fathers" of Jazz would be recognized by all.
In 1938 noted musicologist and biographer Alan Lomax conducted a series of interviews with Morton at the Library of Congress. The interviews consisted of Morton's stories about the early days of jazz, as well as a number of piano performances. Ultimately, The Complete Library of Congress Recordings was released in 2005 as a box set of recordings. The set spans 128 tracks over eight CDs and won two Grammy Awards in 2006 – Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes.
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