Al hirt biography new orleans jazz
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A trumpeter of remarkable technical virtuosity and power, Al Hirt excelled in classical, jazz, and popular genres. Though he saw himself as a “crowd pleaser” rather than a “trailblazer,” Hirt was honored with twenty-one Grammy nominations; he won one award for the bestselling song “Java” in 1964. During his more than six decades as a professional musician, Hirt performed for six presidents, Princess Grace of Monaco, Pope John Paul II, and thousands of adoring fans. His career also included three hits that made Billboard magazine’s Top 40 play list: “Sugar Lips,” “Cotton Candy,” and “Java.”
Early Life
Born in New Orleans on November 7, 1922 to Alois Hirt, a police officer, and Linda Guepet Hirt, Alois Maxwell Hirt made his musical debut on the stage of the Saenger Theater at age six with the Junior Police Band. He studied music at Jesuit High School, and by the time he was thirteen had a reputation as a child prodigy specializing in the classics. Ironically, Hirt’s first in
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Al Hirt
AL HIRT (b. Nov. 7, 1922 – d. April 27, 1999): The son of a New Orleans police officer, Alois Maxwell Hirt got his first trumpet at age six and by age sixteen, he was playing professionally. Two years later, he began studying at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Following service as a bugler in the U.S. Army during World War II, he performed with swing bands led by such luminaries as Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Ina Ray Hutton. Returning to New Orleans, he worked with several Dixieland groups and led his own bands. He soon attracted the attention of major record labels and he recorded twenty-two albums that made the Billboard charts in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Honey In the Horn and Cotton Candy each made the Top 10 album sellers in 1964.
That same year, he won a Grammy with the number-4 Billboard Hot 100 hit Java, a song written by fellow New Orleans native Allen Toussaint. He also scored a number 30 hit with Sugar Lips in 1964. The s
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Al Hirt
American trumpeter and bandleader (1922–1999)
Al Hirt | |
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Hirt in 1966 | |
| Birth name | Alois Maxwell Hirt |
| Also known as |
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| Born | (1922-11-07)November 7, 1922 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 1999(1999-04-27) (aged 76) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instrument | Trumpet |
| Labels | |
Musical artist
Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader.[1] He fryst vatten best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying skiva Honey in the Horn (1963), and for the theme music to The Green Hornet. His nicknames included "Jumbo" and "The Round kulle eller hög of Sound".[1]Colin Escott, an author of musician biographies, wrote that RCA Victor, for which Hirt had recorded most of his best-selling recordings and for which he had spent most of his professional recording career