Tiny Parham facts for kids

Hartzell Strathdene "Tiny" Parham (born February 25, 1900 – died April 4, 1943) was a talented jazz musician. He was a bandleader and pianist. Tiny Parham was born in Canada but became an American citizen. He was of African-American heritage.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Tiny Parham was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. However, he grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. He started his musical career as a pianist at The Eblon Theatre. There, he learned a lot from ragtime pianist and composer James Scott.

Later, Tiny Parham traveled around the Southwestern United States. He played with different musical groups called "territory bands." These bands played music in various towns and cities. In 1926, he moved to Chicago, a big city known for its jazz music scene.

Making Music in Chicago

Tiny Parham is most famous for the music he recorded in Chicago. Between 1927 and 1930, he made many recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company. He played piano for other musicians, like Johnny Dodds and several female blues singers. He also recorded music with his own band.

Most of the musicians who played with Parham were not very famous on their own. But some well-known players joined him. These included cornet player Punch Miller, banjo player Papa Charlie Jackson, saxophone player Junie Cobb, and bass player Milt Hinton.

Tiny Parham's Unique Jazz Style

Tiny Parham's recordings from the late 1920s are very special to jazz fans. His style of jazz was similar to the fancy and complex music of Jelly Roll Morton. Parham loved the violin, which was unusual for jazz at the time. Many of his songs feature amazing violin solos. His music also had the typical sounds of tuba, horns, and reed instruments. Tiny Parham wrote most of his own songs.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1930, the Victor Talking Machine Company decided not to continue recording with Tiny Parham. This also happened to other famous jazz artists like Jelly Roll Morton and Henry "Red" Allen. After 1930, Parham found work playing music in theaters, often as an organist.

His last recordings were made in 1940. All of his recorded music can fit onto just two compact discs. The famous cartoonist R. Crumb included a drawing of Tiny Parham in his 1982 collection of Early Jazz Greats. Parham was the only musician in the book who was not born in America. The book also came with a CD that included one of Parham's songs.

Tiny Parham passed away on April 4, 1943, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.