Dukes of Dixieland

Dukes of Dixieland
Dukes of Dixieland
Also known as	The Dukes
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Dixieland jazz; New Orleans jazz;
Years active	1948–1974 (original line-up), 1974–present (new line-ups)
Labels	Audio Fidelity Records (original line-up);
Members	Matt Perronne; Morale Hoskins; Eduardo Tozzatto; David Mahoney; Wes Anderson; Jason Danti;
Past members	Frank Assunto; Fred Assunto; Duke Assunto; Papa Jac Assunto; Jack Maheu; Stanley Mendelsohn; Tommy Rundell; Barney Mallon; Mike Vax; Dick Johnson; Billy Menier; Otis Bazoon; Al Bernard; Jerry Mehan; Bob O'Rourke; Bill Huntington; Frank Trapani; Phamous Lambert; Bobby Floyd; Freddy Kohlman; Mike Sizer; Harry Waters; Mike Waddell; J.B Scott; Richard Taylor; Al Barthlow; Everett Link; Ben Smith; Tim Laughlin; Earl Bonie; Mike Fulton; Jamie Wight; Tom McDermott; Scott Obenschain; Ryan Burrage; Alan Broome; J.J. Juliano; Paul Thibodeaux; Colin Meyers; David Phy; Mike Robbins;
Website	dukesofdixieland.com

The Dukes of Dixieland is an American, New Orleans "Dixieland"-style revival band, originally formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records featured Jack Maheu, clarinet; Stanley Mendelsohn, piano; Tommy Rundell, drums; and Barney Mallon, tuba and string bass. The 1958 album “Marching Along with the Dukes of Dixieland, Volume 3,” lists Frank, Fred, and Jac Assunto, along with Harold Cooper (clarinet), Stanley Mendelsohn (piano), Paul Ferrara (drums), and Bill Porter (tuba and string bass). During its run the band also featured musicians such as clarinetists Pete Fountain, Jerry Fuller, Kenny Davern, drummers Barrett Deems, Charlie Lodice, Buzzy Drootin and guitarists Jim Hall, and Herb Ellis. The band also recorded with Louis Armstrong.^[1]

Fred and Frank Assunto both died young, and the original Dukes of Dixieland disbanded in the early 1970s. In April 1974, producer/manager John Shoup restarted the Dukes of Dixieland with Connie Jones as leader, leased Louis Prima's nightclub atop the Monteleone Hotel in the French Quarter and renamed it "Duke's Place". The Dukes of Dixieland have not been affiliated with the Assunto family since 1974. The Assunto family has denied giving away permission to use the band name with the new line-ups, none of which have included any of the original musicians.

History

The original Dukes of Dixieland were featured on the first stereo record, released November 1957, on the Audio Fidelity label.^[1] Sidney Frey, founder and president of Audio Fidelity, had Westrex cut the disk for release before any of the major record labels. In 1978, the Dukes, under John Shoup's direction, recorded the first direct-to-disk album, and then, in 1984, were the first jazz band to record on CD. In 1980, they recorded a television special at the old Civic Theater in New Orleans, with the New Orleans Pops Orchestra and later performed in a TV special with Woody Herman, Wood Choppers Ball. In 1986, they invited jazz musician Danny Barker to perform with them at Mahogany Hall to record a television special, Salute to Jelly Roll Morton. In 2001, their gospel CD Gloryland was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2011, they recorded with The Oak Ridge Boys, in Nashville, Tennessee, titled Country Meets Dixie.

They have performed with symphony orchestras, including the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, National, New York Pops (in Carnegie Hall), and 29 other orchestras around the world. In 2005, they traveled aboard the Steamboat Natchez up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Cincinnati, Ohio, raising money for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Relief Fund, while many of the band members' homes were still destroyed. In 2011, they performed with the Boston Pops.

Their latest CD, Here Comes the Girls, features music from R&B artists such as The Meters, Ernie K-Doe, and Allen Toussaint.^[2]

Lawsuit and controversy over band name

In a commentary to an article published by The Syncopated Times, Deano Assunto, the son of trumpeter Frank Assunto (of the original Dukes of Dixieland) states: "due to a court settlement against John Shoup there is to be ‘no implying any historical connection’ between Shoup’s copy band and the original pre-1974 Dukes of Dixieland [...] Your article also stated that John Shoup says that Freddie’s widow Betty Assunto gave him the rights to the Dukes of Dixieland name which is not true. In our first lawsuit against Shoup he could provide no documents to prove [that claim]."^[3] The Assunto family now has a popular tribute band, "The Assunto Dukes, a Dixieland Tribute", featuring Frank's granddaughter Lexie on vocals.^[4]

Band members

Original members

Frank Assunto
Fred Assunto
Duke Assunto
Bill Porter
Papa Jac Assunto
Jack Maheu
Stanley Mendelsohn
Tommy Rundell
Barney Mallon

Featured artists

Pete Fountain
Louis Armstrong
Jerry Fuller
Jim Hall
Herb Ellis

Later alumni

1959–61 – Rich Matteson
1966/1967 – Jim Beebe
1962–63 – Buzzy Drootin
1966/1967 – Eddie Hubble
1964–1967 – Barrett Deems
1960–1967 – Gene Schroeder

1975–80

Mike Vax
Dick Johnson
Billy Menier
Otis Bazoon
Al Bernard
Jerry Mehan
Bob O'Rourke
Bill Huntington

1981–85

Frank Trapani
Phamous Lambert
Bobby Floyd
Freddy Kohlman
Mike Sizer

1986–89

Harry Waters
Mike Waddell (musician)

1990–92

J.B Scott

1990–2010

Richard Taylor
Al Barthlow
Everett Link
Ben Smith
Tim Laughlin
Kevin Clark
Earl Bonie
Mike Fulton
Jamie Wight
Tom McDermott

2011–2012

Kevin Clark
Ben Smith
Scott Obenschain
Ryan Burrage
Alan Broome
J.J. Juliano

2013-2013

Kevin Clark
Ben Smith
Scott Obenschain
Ryan Burrage
Alan Broome
Paul Thibodeaux
Colin Meyers

2013–2014

Kevin Clark
Scott Obenschain
Paul Thibodeaux
Ryan Burrage
Alan Broome
Joe Kennedy

2014–

Kevin Clark
Ryan Burrage
Alan Broome
Joe Kennedy
David Mahoney
David Phy

2016–2020

Kevin Clark
Owen Callahan
Mike Robbins
Joe Kennedy
David Mahoney
Wes Anderson IV

2023

Dr Ben Redwine
David Mahoney
Eduardo Tozzatto
Jim Greene
Ellis Seiberling

^[5]

2023-2024

Matt Perronne
Morale Hoskins
Eduardo Tozzatto
David Mahoney
Wes Anderson
Jason Danti

Guest/featured artists

Danny Barker
Charlie Brent
George French
Woody Herman
Moses Hogan
Luther Kent
New Orleans Gospel Choir
Joe Williams
The Oak Ridge Boys
Reed Vaughan
Karl J. Karlsson
Francis Grinnell

References

^ ^a ^b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 127/8. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
^ "Live @ French Quarter Festival – DUKES of Dixieland". Dukesofdixieland.com.
^ "The DUKES of Dixieland: Adjusting to the Times". Syncopatedtimes.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
^ Young, Van. "Lexie Assunto and the Assunto Dukes". Syncopatedtimes.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
^ "Meet The Band". Dukesofdixieland.com.

Bibliography

Spedale, Rhodes. A Guide to Jazz in New Orleans. p. 135 ISBN 0-940594-08-0
Rose, Al. I Remember Jazz. pp. 14, 45, 151, 181 ISBN 0-8071-1315-8 LSU Press
Rose, Al. New Orleans Jazz (A Family Album). pp. 1, 6, 12, 29, 40, 41, 49, 74, 77, 85, 110, 115, 138, 149, 191, 224 ISBN 0-8071-1158-9 LSU Press

External links

Official Site of the Original Dukes of Dixieland
Official Site of the Assunto Dukes Tribute, the Only Band OFFICIALLY and LEGITIMATELY Sanctioned by the Estate of Frank and Freddie Assunto
US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Asunto v. Shoup, 132 F. Supp. 2d 445 (E.D. La. 2000). October 13, 2000.
Kevin Ray Clark Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2021)

[LarkinJazz-1] Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 127/8. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.

[dukesofdixieland.com-2] "Live @ French Quarter Festival – DUKES of Dixieland". Dukesofdixieland.com.

[3] "The DUKES of Dixieland: Adjusting to the Times". Syncopatedtimes.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.

[4] Young, Van. "Lexie Assunto and the Assunto Dukes". Syncopatedtimes.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.

[5] "Meet The Band". Dukesofdixieland.com.

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