Jay McShann

Jay McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American Grammy Award-nominated

blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer.

During the 1940s, McShann was at the forefront of blues and hard bop jazz musicians mainly from

Kansas City. He assembled his own big band, with musicians that included some of the most

influential artists of their time, including Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter

Brown. His kind of music became known as "the Kansas City sound"[1][2]

McShann died on December 7, 2006, at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City.[3] Jay McShann was

survived by his companion of more than 30 years, Thelma Adams (known as Marianne McShann),

and three daughters - Linda McShann Gerber, Jayne McShann Lewis, and Pam McShann.Nicknamed "Hootie",[4] McShann was born James Columbus

McShann in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Musically, his education came from Earl Hines' late-night broadcasts from Chicago's Grand Terrace Cafe: "When

'Fatha' [Hines] went off the air, I went to bed".[5] He began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and

neighboring Arkansas.