Oct 30, 2023
The Wolverines (1924)
The Wolverines name lives on largely because jazz wunderkind Biz Beiderbecke played and made his first recordings with the group when he was on the cusp of fame, for around a year between 1923 and 1924.
Originally Dudley Mecum's Wolverine Band (they played Jelly Roll Morton's Wolverine Blues so much that they appropriated the name), the group first performed in 1923, having moved to Hamilton, Ohio from Chicago.
Mecum, a pianist and songwriter, didn't like learning the polkas, waltzes and tangos that club owners wanted (like the rest of his ensemble, he couldn't read music), and soon left.
His former ensemble kept their iconic name however - one that has been re-used by revival bands ever since.
