JOHNNY ST. CYR

 

Johnny St. Cyr (April 17, 1890 – June 17, 1966) was an American jazz banjoist and guitarist.

St. Cyr was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played for several leading New Orleans bands before moving to Chicago in 1923. He is most commonly remembered as a member of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven bands.He also played with Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. He composed the popular standard "Oriental Strut", noted for its adventurous chord sequence.

From 1961 until his death in 1966, St. Cyr was the bandleader of the Young Men from New Orleans, who performed at Disneyland.He died in Los Angeles, California, and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, in Los Angeles.

St. Cyr had his own bands in New Orleans as far back as 1905. He played with A.J. Piron, the Superior, Olympia and Tuxedo bands, played on the riverboats with Fate Marable and was with King Oliver when he went north to Chicago in 1923. St. Cyr recorded with King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and with Louis Armstrong as a key member of the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions.

He also performed with Doc Cook’s Dreamland Orchestra. In 1930 he returned to New Orleans where he made his living as a plasterer but still played with local groups including with Paul Barbarin and Alphonse Picou. In 1955 St. Cyr moved to Los Angeles and returned to music full time, leading the Young Men from New Orleans at Disneyland (which also featured Barney Bigard) from 1961 until his death in 1966.