In brief
Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, and vocalist renowned for revolutionizing the trombone's role in jazz through his lyrical, blues-infused style and distinctive baritone singing.
Born in Vernon, Texas, to a musical family—his mother Helen was a pianist and his father Charles a cornetist—Teagarden started piano lessons at age five and switched to trombone around age seven or ten, performing professionally by his mid-teens in Texas and Oklahoma bands. After his father's death in 1918, the family relocated several times before settling in the region, where Teagarden honed his skills in local ensembles like Peck Kelley's Bad Boys alongside future stars such as Pee Wee Russell.
Photographs
Hero photograph: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
