Harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler plays St Louis Blues - 1937

Description

Lawrence Cecil Adler, who was Jewish, was born in Baltimore, USA on 10 February 1914. He taught himself the harmonica and began to play professionally at the age of 14. Adler wrote his autobiography in 1985 Adler moved to the UK in 1949 having been forced to leave the States after accusations of pro-communist sympathies during the McCarthy era. The slurs ruined his career in the US, though he was widely respected for his refusal to accuse other musicians or acquaintances. Besides his musical fame, Adler also appeared in a number of films - playing himself. He also wrote an autobiography - It Ain't Necessarily So - in 1985, and worked as a food critic for Harper's & Queen. The 1953 movie Genevieve brought him an Oscar nomination for his work on the soundtrack, although his name was originally kept off the credits because of the McCarthy blacklisting.

Keywords

Harmonica, Mouth Organ, Larry Adler, St Louis Blues, Stardust

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