User:Mind meal/Sandbox22

Jack Teagarden (August 29, 1905—January 15, 1964), a.k.a. Mr. T,

Early life

 * Jack Teagarden was born August 29, 1905 in Vernon, Texas and took an early interest in music. He began playing piano at age five, baritone saxophone at age seven, and trombone at age ten. In 1918 his family moved to Chappell, Nebraska. There he began performing at local theaters with his mother (a ragtime pianist).

Career
From 1921 to 1923 he played with Peck Kelley's Bad Boys and also performed in various territory bands.
 * Peck Kelley

In 1923 he married Ora Binyon in Texas and also joined the Doc Ross Jazz Bandits—a group which operated out of Wichita Falls.
 * Doc Ross Jazz Bandits

Teagarden made his recording debut in 1927 with Johnny Johnson's Statler Pennsylvanians.
 * Johnny Johnson's Statler Pennsylvanians

In 1928 Teagarden moved to New York and performed with Billy Lustig's Scranton Sirens at the Roseland Ballroom.
 * Billy Lustig

From 1928 to 1933 he played trombone with Ben Pollack and, in 1934, signed a five-year contract with Paul Whiteman.
 * Ben Pollack & Paul Whiteman

At the end of his contract with Whiteman in 1939, Teagarden formed his own big band. His orchestra never had any hits and the band was largely overshadowed by the likes of Harry James and Glenn Miller. The Teagarden Orchestra stayed together for seven years and called it quits in 1946, coinciding with Teagarden himself filing for bankruptcy. His friend Bing Crosby wrote him a check for six-hundred dollars to help with his debts and Teagarden headed for New York in March 1947, where he planned to restart his career.
 * Teagarden Orchestra