deParis, Wilbur
Wilbur De Paris was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana on Sept 20th in 1900 to Sydney and Fannie (Hyatt) DeParis. Often, as in a 1945 passenger list into New York City, the name was simply Paris, (written in the ship’s log as de Paris with the de crossed off as was the name of their family band).
Wilbur’s family spent the summers going all over, especially to the Southern states playing in the family band, his father having a plantation show with singing, dancing, acting, comic routines, magic and the like.
At just five years old, Wilbur began playing (fellers.se) the alto sax but by the 1920s the trombone became his instrument. This was following in his father’s footsteps who also played trombone, banjo and guitar. Add circus barker, ventriloquist and minstrel to dad’s repertoire. The group played in tents and small theaters. He could barely hold the sax up and his brother, Sidney had the same trouble with his cornet.
Travelling in the summers, the De Paris family often missed being on the census records but in the 1910 one, we find them in Crawfordsville where they rent their home on Main Street. Wilbur was 10. Their daughter, Nannie was 8, listed as an auctioneer of dry goods. They could all read/write and were listed as mulatto. Senior was born in Virginia and Fannie in Kentucky whereas the kids all born in C’ville.
The only other census I found them in was 1930, where Sydney and Fannie were at 2100 Albanes Street in Philadelphia (note: couldn’t find that on googlemaps) with Nannie and her husband, Jack Brown. Sydney is listed as a “road shoreman – almost wonder if that should be showman? – and Fannie is a dressmaker for an Army Store. At this point, Wilbur (and his brother Sidney G – check his Who’sWho) were becoming famous.
Jazzmusicarchive notes that Wilbur was good with solos but his forte was ensemble playing. “He was an important band leader who kept New Orleans jazz alive through the 50s. The article noted that “he wasn’t as talented as his brother, Sidney, a trumpet soloist,” yet Wilbur worked with Duke Ellington, received much help from Louis Armstrong when he first heard jazz (age 14) while working for his dad. One night he was asked to join in on the song (Nassau Newsday 27 Aug 1964 p 104) with Oscar Celestin’s band at Tom Anderson’s café around the corner from the Lyric Theater in New Orleans where Wilbur was playing in an orchestra. Louis and Oscar were good at passing on advice to the young boy as he often would sit down and play with them in their bands.
Jazz became his love, but he was well-known for hymns, blues, marches, pop and really any genre of music. His band including brother Sidney was the main attraction at Jimmy Ryan’s place on 52nd St, NY City a dozen years. Jane Allison (10 July 1936 in the Indy Star) wrote about Hoosiers and Indiana-related places to visit while in NY City and she noted in the entertainment section to make sure not to miss Wilbur De Paris and his brother “blowing-out the front door nightly at The Room at the Bottom, 23 W. 8th Street.”
Somewhere after, Wilbur married and became the proud father of four (2 sons, 2 daughters). He passed eight days before his 73rd birthday at Beekman Hospital in downtown New York City, having given his listeners 60 plus years of marvelous music, his specialty being a band leader and trombone player mixing “Dixieland jazz with swing!”
Note: super photo from -- Indianapolis Recorder 17 Dec 1977 p 10
