Avery Parrish | |
---|---|
Birth name | James Avery Parrish [1] |
Born | January 24, 1917 Birmingham, Alabama, US |
Died | December 10, 1959 New York City, New York, US | (aged 42)
Genres | Jazz, blues |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Years active | 1930s–1943 |
James Avery Parrish (January 24, 1917 – December 10, 1959) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote and recorded " After Hours". Injuries from a bar fight in 1943 ended his career as a pianist.
Parrish was born in Birmingham, Alabama. [2] His parents were Curley and Fannie G Parrish. [1] Avery had at least one brother, who became an educator. [3]
Parrish graduated from Parker High School in Birmingham. [4] According to a gossip columnist in 1935, Parrish was at that time married to singer Velma Middleton. [5] [6]
Parrish studied at the Alabama State Teachers College, where he played in the Bama State Collegians, an ensemble led by Erskine Hawkins. [2] He remained in Hawkins's employ until 1942, [7] and recorded with him extensively. Parrish wrote the music to " After Hours", and a 1940 recording of the tune with Hawkins's orchestra resulted in its becoming a jazz standard. He also wrote arrangements for Hawkins. [8]
In August 1942 Parrish was injured in a car crash that killed Marcellus Green, one of Hawkins's trumpeters. [9] They were in a group of five in the vehicle, driving between Pittsburgh and Chattanooga to gigs when it overturned. [10] Parrish left Hawkins later that year [7] [11] and moved to California. [2] He was a commercially successful solo pianist there. [12] He was involved in a bar fight in 1943 [13] – he was hit in the head by a bar stool [12] – which put him in hospital for a few months. [14] This left him partly paralyzed; he was unable to play music for the rest of his life. [2]
Parrish died of unknown causes [2] on December 10, 1959. [1] [15] A contemporary report stated that he "had been found lying in Harlem streets five days before he died at the Harlem Hospital. There were no marks of violence on his body." [4] Author and music executive Arnold Shaw stated that Parrish suffered "a fall down a flight of stairs". [12] At the time, Parrish was living with his mother on Saint Nicholas Avenue and "working as a porter for a local bottling company." [16] He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, New York. [16] He was survived by his mother and a brother, Julian. [16]
In 1979, Parrish was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Avery Parrish | |
---|---|
Birth name | James Avery Parrish [1] |
Born | January 24, 1917 Birmingham, Alabama, US |
Died | December 10, 1959 New York City, New York, US | (aged 42)
Genres | Jazz, blues |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Years active | 1930s–1943 |
James Avery Parrish (January 24, 1917 – December 10, 1959) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote and recorded " After Hours". Injuries from a bar fight in 1943 ended his career as a pianist.
Parrish was born in Birmingham, Alabama. [2] His parents were Curley and Fannie G Parrish. [1] Avery had at least one brother, who became an educator. [3]
Parrish graduated from Parker High School in Birmingham. [4] According to a gossip columnist in 1935, Parrish was at that time married to singer Velma Middleton. [5] [6]
Parrish studied at the Alabama State Teachers College, where he played in the Bama State Collegians, an ensemble led by Erskine Hawkins. [2] He remained in Hawkins's employ until 1942, [7] and recorded with him extensively. Parrish wrote the music to " After Hours", and a 1940 recording of the tune with Hawkins's orchestra resulted in its becoming a jazz standard. He also wrote arrangements for Hawkins. [8]
In August 1942 Parrish was injured in a car crash that killed Marcellus Green, one of Hawkins's trumpeters. [9] They were in a group of five in the vehicle, driving between Pittsburgh and Chattanooga to gigs when it overturned. [10] Parrish left Hawkins later that year [7] [11] and moved to California. [2] He was a commercially successful solo pianist there. [12] He was involved in a bar fight in 1943 [13] – he was hit in the head by a bar stool [12] – which put him in hospital for a few months. [14] This left him partly paralyzed; he was unable to play music for the rest of his life. [2]
Parrish died of unknown causes [2] on December 10, 1959. [1] [15] A contemporary report stated that he "had been found lying in Harlem streets five days before he died at the Harlem Hospital. There were no marks of violence on his body." [4] Author and music executive Arnold Shaw stated that Parrish suffered "a fall down a flight of stairs". [12] At the time, Parrish was living with his mother on Saint Nicholas Avenue and "working as a porter for a local bottling company." [16] He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, New York. [16] He was survived by his mother and a brother, Julian. [16]
In 1979, Parrish was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.