Page 70 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2025 Digital Edition

Wichita Blues

Posing for a photo, 1940: Jay McShann (at piano) and his Orchestra, including Charlie Parker (third from left).
Photo courtesy of LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC University Libraries

By Patrick Joseph O’Connor, radio station. This was the first time Parker was recorded
author of Wichita Blues, with a group. McShann regularly played Wichita. The city
Music in the African American Community saw talented Territory bands thanks to the railroads and
good highways.
Wichita, KS, is a blues town and has been one since Wichita is the largest city in the state, bolstered by African
the 1930s. Many came to stay from Oklahoma, Texas and Americans whose numbers increased from 3.5% to 11% of
Arkansas, bringing those regional sounds with them. Jay the population during the 20 century. This new music came to
th
McShann, Charlie Parker, Albert Collins, Kid Thomas and a the city in 1922 when singer Mamie Smith, the first blues artist
score of blues men and women played Wichita over the years. to record (“Crazy Blues,” 1920), appeared at the Crawford
Wichita provided lots of clubs to play in, and entertainment Theatre. A year later, W.C. Handy and Sara Martin played
for its citizens. Reflecting this history, the Wichita blues sound the Crawford – “Both balconies for colored persons,” read the
is evolving, from early urban to R&B to electric contemporary newspaper ad.
to a brand-new sound. Other ads offered 78 RPM records from the Okeh Record
Store in Shaw, MS, and Paramount Records. Eventually
Wichita Blues Origination Wichitans got their own stores: the Pastime Music Shop at 611
An amateur recording of “Wichita Blues” by Jay N. Main, which offered Black Swan and Paramount Records,
McShann and His Orchestra, with Charlie Parker on alto and Hattie Eslinger’s at 632 N. Main, which advertised “Blues
saxophone, occurred December 2, 1940, at Wichita’s KFBI & more Blues.” This gave local bands material.

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