| LC control no. | n 91062938 |
|---|---|
| Descriptive conventions | rda |
| Personal name heading | Hirt, Al, 1922-1999 |
| Variant(s) | Hirt, Alois Maxwell, 1922-1999 |
| Biography/History note | Al Hirt (born Alois Maxwell Hirt, November 7, 1922, New Orleans, Louisiana-d. April 27, 1999, New Orleans, Louisiana), was a trumpeter known mostly for Dixieland jazz music. He got his first trumpet from a pawnshop at age 6 and played his first gig in 1938 when he was hired to blow the horn at a local racetrack. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music from 1940 to 1943 and served in the United States Army for three years. After his time in the Army, Hirt began his career as a trumpet player, bandleader, and songwriter, touring with big bands, including those led by Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. He started his own band in 1950 and a combo with clarinetist Pete Fountain in 1955. In 1960, he signed with RCA Records, which released his first album the following year. Hirt recorded 55 albums in his career and won a Grammy award in 1963 for the song ''Java.'' He was a minority owner in the New Orleans Saints football team and owned a club in the French Quarter. Hirt married Mary Patureau and they had six children. He married Beverly Essel in 1990. Hirt is interred at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana. |
| Associated place | Metairie Cemetery (New Orleans, La.) |
| Located | New Orleans (La.) |
| Birth date | 1922-11-07 |
| Death date | 1999-04-27 |
| Place of birth | New Orleans (La.) |
| Place of death | New Orleans (La.) |
| Field of activity | Music Jazz Dixieland music |
| Affiliation | Al Hirt Sextet Cincinnati Conservatory of Music United States. Army RCA Records New Orleans Saints (Football team) |
| Profession or occupation | Trumpet players Band directors Singers Musicians Jazz musicians Composers |
| Found in | Al Hirt "Swingin' Dixie!" at Dan's Pier 600 in New Orleans [SR] 196-?: label (Al Hirt) LC data base, 6-25-91 (hdg.: Hirt, Al) New Grove dictionary of jazz (Hirt, Al(ois Maxwell); b. Nov. 7, 1922, New Orleans; trumpeter, bandleader, and singer) New York Times, Apr. 28, 1999 (Al Hirt, 76, trumpeter; d. Apr. 27, 1999, New Orleans; b. Alois Maxwell Hirt, Nov. 7, 1922, New Orleans) Photograph of former President Harry S. Truman greeting Al Hirt and family, July 19, 1963: (Former President Harry S. Truman greets Al Hirt) <http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/view.php?id=69184> Findagrave.com, July 28, 2016 (Al Hirt; b. November 7, 1922, New Orleans, Louisiana; d. April 27, 1999, New Orleans, Louisiana; burial: Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, Louisiana) <http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7702> OCLC, July 28, 2016 (hdgs.: Hirt, Al; Hirt, Al, 1922-1999; Hirt, Al, 1922-; Hirt, Al, -1999; Hirt, Al, Leader; usages: Al Hirt) |
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