New Orleans own DUKES of Dixieland & LUTHER KENT

Trumpeter Frank Assunto (who was also a fine singer) and his brother/trombonist Fred Assunto formed the Dukes of Dixieland in 1948 and won a Horace Heidt talent contest. In 1950, they started a long engagement at the Famous Door in New Orleans. An early member of the group was clarinetist Pete Fountain and the Assunto's father, Papa Jac, joined the band in 1955 on banjo and second trombone. The group's first recordings were for Band Wagon in 1951 and Fountain appeared on their 1955 Vik date, but the Dukes really caught on with a dozen albums cut for Audio Fidelity during 1956-1960. During this period, the Dukes also recorded twice with Louis Armstrong. The band hit its peak with their Columbia records of 1961-1964 (featuring clarinetist Jerry Fuller), particularly an exciting set recorded at Disneyland. Their Decca and Coral dates of 1965-1966, although of some interest, are a step down in quality. Both Fred (1966) and Frank (1974) died of cancer. In the late '70s, a new Dukes of Dixieland was formed but this group is somewhat corny and inferior in quality, having no real connection to the original band.