The Washboard Rhythm Kings was a loose group of jazz musicians who recorded for different labels between 1930 and 1935. They were renowned for their goodtime swing music and featured spirited vocals, horns and sometimes a kazoo. They mostly covered songs by other artists. They had a variety of personnel, with Teddy Bunn being the most frequent member. The group consisted of Henry “Red” Allen, Jelly Roll Morton, Charlie Holmes, and Bruce Johnson. Many of them had previously worked together with the Luis Russell Orchestra. Leo Watson and Steve Washington were among the later recordings, as well as trumpeters Valaida and Taft Jordan and clarinettist Ben Smith[1]. Their 1982 recording of Tiger Rag has been cited as a precursor to rock and roll because of its “wild, informal feeling”. See “First rock and rolling record”. Their music had a significant influence on skiffle music in the 1950s and later. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
