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. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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Riverboat Dixieland
Greatest Songs