Andy Kirk

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Andy Kirk · Andrew Dewey Kirk (28 May 1898 to 11 December 1992) was an American bandleader and saxophonist of the swing era. He was born in Newport, Kentucky, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. There he was taught by Wilberforce Whiteman, the father of Paul Whiteman. He played first in George Morrison's band and then in Terrence Holder's Dark Clouds of Joy. In 1929 he took over the leadership and named the group Clouds of Joy. He moved with the band from Dallas to Kansas City.

Music and breakthrough

After the first recordings of 1929 and 1930 the group became popular as a model of the Kansas City sound. From 1936 Kirk made records for Decca. In 1938 he spent twelve weeks at the top of the chart with I Won't Tell a Soul, with the singer Pha Terrell. In 1942 Take It and Git became the first single to top the Harlem Hit Parade, the forerunner of Billboard's rhythm and blues chart. The pianist and arranger Mary Lou Williams later became a big name in jazz. Buddy Tate, Don Byas, Fats Navarro and, briefly, Charlie Parker also played in the band.

Influence

In 1948 Kirk disbanded the band. He afterwards worked in hotel management and real estate and was an officer of the Musicians' Union. His orchestra shows how swing from the Midwest sounded, with a loose rhythm section and plenty of room for soloists.

Listening

• 
  Walkin' and Swingin' · Andy Kirk, 1936

Discography

Studio albums

• 2011Big Band Essentials

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• After Hours: Session 1^NL Reader
• After Hours: Session 2^NL Reader

Mentioned in other articles

• Kansas City jazz GenreAndy Kirk with Mary Lou Williams, Jay McShann with the young Charlie Parker, and the singer Big Joe Turner with the pianist Pete Johnson also came out of this scene.

See also

• Kansas City jazz