Lionel Ferbos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lionel Ferbos
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Ferbos at age 101, before going on stage to play a set with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra in 2012.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lionel Charles Ferbos |
| Born | July 17, 1911 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | July 19, 2014 (aged 103) New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Trumpeter |
| Instruments | Trumpet |
Lionel Charles Ferbos (born July 17, 1911 – died July 19, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Lionel Ferbos was known as the oldest jazz musician in New Orleans. He played music almost his whole life in the city. He often performed weekly at the Palm Court Jazz Cafe, a famous club in the French Quarter. There, he led the Palm Court Jazz Band on Saturday nights.
During his long career, Ferbos played with many important jazz musicians. These included Captain John Handy and Mamie Smith. He also played with groups that brought back old jazz styles, like the band from the musical One Mo' Time. He performed at all the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals.
Growing Up
Lionel Ferbos was born on July 17, 1911, in New Orleans. He grew up in the city's Creole 7th Ward. Lionel had asthma, so his parents did not want him to play a wind instrument.
But when he was 15, he saw an all-girl orchestra at the Orpheum. He told his parents that if girls could play, he should be able to too! So, he bought an old cornet from a pawn shop. He started taking lessons with Professor Paul Chaligny. This teacher was very strict. He made Lionel learn to read music before he could even blow the horn. After a year, Ferbos studied with other famous musicians, Albert Snaer and Eugene Ware.
Starting His Music Career
Lionel Ferbos began playing music professionally in the early 1930s. He joined "society jazz bands" like the Starlight Serenaders and Moonlight Serenaders. They played at popular places in New Orleans, such as the Pythian Roof Garden and Pelican Club.
In 1932, he joined Captain Handy's Louisiana Shakers. They played at the Astoria and toured along the Gulf Coast. Later, he played with the Fats Pichon Band and backed blues singer Mamie Smith. During the Great Depression, he worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This was a government program that created jobs. He then became the first trumpet player in the WPA jazz band. He was the last surviving member of that band.
In the 1940s, he played at places like Happy Landing and Mama Lou's on Lake Pontchartrain. In the 1950s, he worked with Harold Dejan at the Melody Inn. He even recorded music there with a group called the "Mighty Four." In the 1960s, he played with Herbert Leary's Orchestra.
Because Lionel could read sheet music well, many people wanted him to play. He said he was not a "hot player," but he always had job offers. When Danny Barker started the famous Fairview Baptist band, Ferbos helped by writing out all their music. This band helped train many young New Orleans musicians.
Later Years in Music
Lionel Ferbos kept a regular job for most of his life. This meant he mostly played music in and around New Orleans. In the 1930s, he worked at Haspel's Clothing Factory. There, he met Marguerite Gilyot, a seamstress, who became his wife. They were married for 75 years before she passed away in 2009.
In the 1940s, Ferbos started working in his father's sheet-metal business. He became a very skilled metal worker, also known as a tinsmith. His amazing metal artwork was shown in an exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
In the 1970s, he was part of the musical One Mo' Time. But when the show moved to New York, he chose not to leave New Orleans. However, he did travel to Europe eight times with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra. This group was formed to bring back old jazz music found at Tulane University. He also played trumpet for the soundtrack of the 1978 movie Pretty Baby.
Lionel Ferbos won the 2003 Big Easy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was often asked to share his experiences from the Depression, his music career, and his tinsmithing skills. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina forced him to move to Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana to stay with relatives. He returned to New Orleans when he could.
Even though he had a very long career, Lionel Ferbos did not make many recordings early on. After he joined the Ragtime and Palm Court bands, he recorded several CDs. He also appeared on other recordings with famous New Orleans musicians.
Personal Life
Lionel Ferbos had a daughter named Sylvia Schexnayder. His wife, Marguerite Gilyot Ferbos, and his son, Lionel Ferbos Jr., passed away before him.
Lionel Ferbos died at his home in New Orleans on July 19, 2014. He was 103 years old.
See also
- List of centenarians (musicians, composers and music patrons)
