Trumpeter, singer, and
composer Joseph “Wingy” Manone was born on this date in 1900. As a boy in New
Orleans, he lost an arm as a result of a streetcar accident, but this didn’t
stop him from taking up a musical instrument. His nickname has to rank as a bit
of gallows humor, although Manone’s 1948 autobiography was entitled Trumpet
on the Wing. He used a prosthetic
arm so naturally when playing trumpet that his disability was not immediately
noticeable.
He first played professionally
around New Orleans and then took to the road in the 1920s, playing with bands
from coast to coast. His performance style was somewhat reminiscent of Louis
Prima - hot and fast trumpet playing and vocals sung in a rough, gravelly
voice. He played on a few early Benny Goodman recordings and his band had
steady radio work in the 1930s. He also appeared in the film Rhythm on the
River (1940), starring Bing Crosby
and Mary Martin as musical ghostwriters.
As a composer, Manone’s
tunes include “Tar Paper Stomp,” “There'll Come a Time (Wait and See)” (with
Miff Mole; the song was recently used on the soundtrack of The Curious Case
of Benjamin Button), “Downright
Disgusted Blues” (with Bud Freeman), and “Tailgate Ramble” (with Johnny
Mercer). Manone played mostly in California and in Las Vegas from the 1950s
onward, but he also continued to tour worldwide. He died in 1982.
Jazz violinist Joe Venuti,
who was a notorious practical joker and good friend of Manone, used to send
“Wingy” a single cufflink every year on his birthday.
Here is some rare footage
of “Wingy” Manone performing.
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