Teddy Bunn & Friends

A fine single-note acoustic guitar soloist, Teddy Bunn was one of the top jazz guitarists of the 1930s. Largely self-taught, Bunn first gained recognition when he recorded with Duke Ellington in 1929, and played with the Washboard Rhythm Kings in the late-'20s/early-'30s period. A few years later, he was one of the stars with the Spirits of Rhythm (which played regularly at the Onyx Club). During 1938-1940, Bunn recorded with Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, Trixie Smith, J.C. Higginbotham, Sidney Bechet, Lionel Hampton, and was on the famous Mezz Mezzrow-Tommy Ladnier sessions; in addition, he made four unaccompanied solos for Blue Note. Switching to electric guitar, Bunn led his own groups in the 1940s and re-joined the Spirits of Rhythm; in the '50s, he played R&B with a variety of groups (including Jack McVea, Edgar Hayes, and Louis Jordan). Although fairly obscure after the early '40s, Bunn worked regularly until the late '60s, when health problems forced his retirement.