Editing George Brunies

{{Short description|American jazz trombonist (1902–1974)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2012}}
{{distinguish|George Bruns}}
{{More footnotes|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = George Brunies
| image               = George Brunis, Tony Parenti (Gottlieb 00871).jpg
| caption             = George Brunis and [[Tony Parenti]], Jimmy Ryan's (Club), New York, c. August 1946, image: [[William P. Gottlieb|Gottlieb]]
| background          = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name          = George Clarence Brunies
| alias               = Georg Brunis
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1902|2|6}}
| birth_place         = [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1974|11|19 |1902|2|6 |mf=yes}}
| death_place         = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
| genre               = [[Jazz]], [[dixieland]]
| occupation          = Musician
| instrument          = Trombone
| years_active        = 1920–1960
| associated_acts     = [[New Orleans Rhythm Kings]]
}}

'''George Clarence Brunies''' (February 6, 1902 – November 19, 1974),<ref name="AMG"/> {{aka}} '''Georg Brunis''', was an American [[jazz]] trombonist, who was part of the [[Jazz#Dixieland revival|dixieland revival]]. He was known as "The King of the Tailgate Trombone".<ref name="Stetler">Stetler, Susan L. (editor) (1987), "Brunis, George", ''Biography Almanac'', (Third edition), Gale Research Company, Detroit, p. 257, {{ISBN|0-8103-2142-4}}</ref>

==Background==
Brunies was born in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], United States,<ref name="AMG"/> into a musical family.  His father led a family band, and his brothers [[Henry Brunies|Henry]], [[Merritt Brunies|Merritt]], [[Richard Brunies|Richard]], and [[Abbie Brunies|Albert]] ("Abbie") all became noted professional musicians. By the age of eight, George was already playing [[alto horn]] professionally in [[Papa Jack Laine]]'s band.<ref>{{cite web |title=George Brunies (1902-1974)|url=https://syncopatedtimes.com/george-brunies-1902-1974/ |website=Syncopatedtimes.com|date=May 20, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>  A few years later he switched to [[trombone]].<ref name="AMG"/> He played with many jazz, dance, and parade bands in New Orleans.  He never learned to read music, but could quickly pick up tunes and invent a part for his instrument.

He first went to Chicago in 1919 with a band led by Ragbaby Stevens, then worked on riverboats going up and down the [[Mississippi River]]. In 1921, he returned to Chicago, and joined a band of his New Orleans friends playing at the [[Friar's Inn]]; this was the band that became famous as the [[New Orleans Rhythm Kings]].<ref name="Stetler"/>  Brunies's trombone style was influential to the young Chicago players, and his records were much copied.

After the Rhythm Kings broke up in Chicago in 1924, Brunies joined the nationally famous [[Ted Lewis (musician)|Ted Lewis]] band, which he played with through 1934.<ref name="AMG"/>

After some time with [[Louis Prima]]'s band he landed a steady gig at the New York City jazz club, Nick's, through 1938.<ref name="LarkinJazz">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=66}}</ref>  In 1939, he joined [[Muggsy Spanier]]'s band, with whom he made some of his most famous recordings.<ref name="AMG"/> The following year he returned to Nick's, where he remained until 1946.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> Brunies then worked with [[Eddie Condon]].

==Later career==
In 1949, Brunies moved back to Chicago to lead his own band.<ref name="AMG"/>  Brunies often showed off his unusual technical abilities and bizarre sense of humor at the same time; for example he would lie on the floor and invite the largest person in the audience to sit on his chest while he played trombone.

On the advice of a [[numerology|numerologist]], he changed his name to Georg Brunis in the late 1940s,<ref name="AMG">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/georg-brunis-mn0000804170/biography|title=Georg Brunis &#124; Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=July 25, 2021}}</ref> when he was playing at the 1111 (eleven-eleven) Club in Chicago.<ref name="AMG"/> He believed that this name change would increase his good fortune. The 1111 was a popular jazz club which was always full on Friday and Saturday nights with jazz lovers from the northern suburbs of Chicago.  Every now and then other well-known jazz musicians, such as Muggsy Spanier, would drop in and sit and play until dawn.

Georg Brunis died in Chicago on November 19, 1974.<ref name="Stetler"/>

==Sources==
*Kernfeld, Barry Dean, and Stanley Sadie. "New Orleans Rhythm Kings." ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. London: Macmillan, 1988.
*New Orleans Rhythm Kings biography. The Red Hot Jazz Archive. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
*Kennedy, Rick. ''Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy: Gennett Studios and the Birth of Recorded Jazz''. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1994. {{ISBN|978-0253213150}}
*Kenney, William Howland. ''Chicago Jazz: A Cultural History, 1904-1930''. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. {{ISBN| 9780195092608}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunies, George}}
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:Dixieland jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans]]
[[Category:American jazz trombonists]]
[[Category:American male trombonists]]
[[Category:20th-century American trombonists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:New Orleans Rhythm Kings members]]
[[Category:Jazzology Records artists]]