A biography of jazz trumpeter and singer, Henry "Red" Allen, long regarded as Louis Armstrong's chief rival. As a close friend of Allen's, John Chilton brings to light various aspects of Allen's personality, as well as analyzing his recordings. The intriguing contrast between Allen's spectacular showmanship and his off-stage reticence is dealt with, and details of his early life in New Orleans and on the Mississippi riverboats are covered. The book also discusses Allen's work with King Oliver, Luis Russell, Fletcher Henderson, Kid Ory and Louis Armstrong.

Author Biography

John Chilton divides his time between being a professional jazz trumpeter and writing books on jazz. In 2000 he won the British Jazz Award for Writer of the Year. His books include Billie's Blues (on Billie Holiday), The Wizard of Jazz (on Sidney Bechet), and Let the Good Times Roll (on Louis Jordan). Both his Who's Who of Jazz (Storyville to Swing Street) and his Who's Who of British Jazz have been hailed as the best reference works of their kind. Down Beat magazine calls Chilton "a master of the craft of research."