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Avery Parrish
Avery Parrish
Birth name	James Avery Parrish
Born	January 24, 1917; Birmingham, Alabama, US
Died	December 10, 1959 (aged 42); New York City, New York, US
Genres	Jazz, blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1930s–1943

James Avery Parrish (January 24, 1917 – December 10, 1959) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote and recorded "After Hours". Injuries from a bar fight in 1943 ended his career as a pianist.

Early life

Parrish was born in Birmingham, Alabama.^[2] His parents were Curley and Fannie G Parrish.^[1] Avery had at least one brother, who became an educator.^[3]

Parrish graduated from Parker High School in Birmingham.^[4] According to a gossip columnist in 1935, Parrish was at that time married to singer Velma Middleton.^[5]^[6]

Later life

Parrish studied at the Alabama State Teachers College, where he played in the Bama State Collegians, an ensemble led by Erskine Hawkins.^[2] He remained in Hawkins's employ until 1942,^[7] and recorded with him extensively. Parrish wrote the music to "After Hours", and a 1940 recording of the tune with Hawkins's orchestra resulted in its becoming a jazz standard. He also wrote arrangements for Hawkins.^[8]

In August 1942 Parrish was injured in a car crash that killed Marcellus Green, one of Hawkins's trumpeters.^[9] They were in a group of five in the vehicle, driving between Pittsburgh and Chattanooga to gigs when it overturned.^[10] Parrish left Hawkins later that year^[7]^[11] and moved to California.^[2] He was a commercially successful solo pianist there.^[12] He was involved in a bar fight in 1943^[13] – he was hit in the head by a bar stool^[12] – which put him in hospital for a few months.^[14] This left him partly paralyzed; he was unable to play music for the rest of his life.^[2]

Parrish died of unknown causes^[2] on December 10, 1959.^[1]^[15] A contemporary report stated that he "had been found lying in Harlem streets five days before he died at the Harlem Hospital. There were no marks of violence on his body."^[4] Author and music executive Arnold Shaw stated that Parrish suffered "a fall down a flight of stairs".^[12] At the time, Parrish was living with his mother on Saint Nicholas Avenue and "working as a porter for a local bottling company."^[16] He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, New York.^[16] He was survived by his mother and a brother, Julian.^[16]

In 1979, Parrish was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S (2013) Blues: A Regional Experience. Praeger. p. 45.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Yanow, Scott. "Avery Parrish – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
^ Lambert, Katherine Kent (November 18, 1939) "Birmingham News". The Chicago Defender. p. 10.
^ ^a ^b "Musician Avery Parrish Dies". The Pittsburgh Courier. January 2, 1960. p. 23. Retrieved August 10, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
^ McMillan, Allan (November 16, 1935) "Hi Hattin' in Harlem". The Chicago Defender. p. 9.
^ McMillan, Allan (July 4, 1964) "On Broadway: Private Papers of a Dawn Patroller". New Pittsburgh Courier p. 15.
^ ^a ^b "'Record Man' Returns to WOR Program" (May 9, 1942) The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 20.
^ McCarthy, Albert J (1974) Big Band Jazz. Putnam. p. 233.
^ "Erskine Hawkins Bandsman Is Killed: Hawkins Bandsman Killed in Accident Avery Parrish, Pianist. Among Others Hurt in Auto Capsizing". (August 15, 1942) New York Amsterdam Star-News. p. 1.
^ "Hawkins Band Member Dies in Car Crash". (August 15, 1942) The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 1.
^ "Rowe's Notebook". (October 17, 1942) The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 20.
^ ^a ^b ^c Shaw, Arnold (1978) Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues. Collier. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-02-061760-0.
^ "Avery Parrish, Erskine Hawkins' Swing Pianist, Is Still Alive!". (August 14, 1943) The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 20.
^ "Avery Parrish Leaves Hospital". (November 6, 1943) The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 19.
^ Bruyninckx, Walter (1981) 60 Years of Recorded Jazz 1917–1977, Volume 9. W. Bruyninckx. p. 97.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Avery Parrish Pianist Dies; Was Composer". (December 19, 1959) New York Amsterdam News. p. 38.