Henry "Red" Allen

Henry "Red" Allen was another New Orleans native who brought the raucous new jazz music to Chicago and New Orleans. While his Billy Goat Gruff-style vocals seem to take their cue from Louis Armstrong, Allen's trumpet style didn't really resemble that of his one-time boss. His solo style was more abstract and brassy than Satchmo's always logical approach. He may have helped shape jazz during the first half of the twentieth century, but Allen kept busy bringing crowds into nightclubs well into the 1950s and '60s. The secret to his success is all out in the open -- his music offers up heaps of fun.