A trailblazing jazz singer who habitually added comedy to his stirring vocals,
Louis Jordan was "king of the juke box" and became one of the biggest American
stars of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s with a style that became known as jump
blues. His father was a music teacher in Brinkley, Arkansas who taught his son
to play, his first instrument being clarinet. Jordan went on to perform with
various local bands and in 1946 he was invited to join one of the best bands of
the day, New York's Savoy Ballroom orchestra, led by drummer Chick Webb; and
with his energetic stage presence and gi...