Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Merritt Brunies was born on December 25, 1895 into a well-known musical family in New Orleans, Louisiana. Among its members were trombonist George Brunies and cornetist Albert Brunies.

Merritt led his own band, The Original New Orleans Jazz Band, from 1916 to 1918. Though this ensemble never recorded, it existed before both Jimmy Durante’s New Orleans Jazz Band and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Following this, he formed another group which played at Friar’s Inn in Chicago, Illinois directly after the stint by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings.

He played regularly in New Orleans in the 1930s, however, by 1946 he moved to Mississippi. There he played with his brothers in a Dixieland jazz band until his retirement. Trombonist and cornetist Merritt Brunies transitioned on February 5, 1973 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

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