Henry “Red” Allen

Henry Red Allen grew up in Algiers, Louisiana. His father was the leader of the Allen Brass Band of Algiers, in which Red played. This experience lead him to join several other bands, including Sam Morgan Band, Excelsior Band, and to perform with George Lewis.

On the Riverboat Island Queen, which ran between St. Louis and Cincinnatti, Red played with Sidney Desvigne’s Southern Syncopators, Fats Pichon and Fate Marable. After performing in St. Louis with King Olivers Dixie Syncopators in 1927, he then made recordings with Clarence Williams in New York. He played in Luis Russell’s orchestra, and was signed with Victor records where he created sweeping solos through the 1930’s .

Red played with the Miles Blue River Band, Fletcher Henderson, and Luis Russel before joining Louis Armstrong’s backup band for three years. In the 1940’s, Red lead Dixieland/ Rythm and Blues combos, they played frequently at the Metropole in New York with Coleman Hawkins. Red was a participant in The Sound of Jazz special on CBS in 1957. He toured Europe with Kid Ory’s Band in 1959, and continued to play music into the 60’s.