Trombonist and composer, born in Laplace, LA. He rose to fame as leader of a well-known New Orleans jazz band (1911), later forming a new band in Los Angeles (1919). During the 1920s he made numerous records, playing with such popular jazz musicians as King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton, and is remembered for his composition, "Muskrat Ramble' (1926). He retired in 1930, made a successful comeback in 1939, and appeared in the films New Orleans (1947) and The Benny Goodman Story (1956).