John Kirby

Aliases: John Kirby and His Onyx Club Boys
John Kirby and His Orchestra
John Kirby and Orchestra
Real name: John Kirk
Born: December 31, 1908
Died: June 14, 1952
Country: United States
Comments: Jazz double-bassist, trombonist, tuba player. He formed his "Onyx Club Boys" sextet in 1937.
Member of: The Capitol International Jazzmen Bass (1945-1946)
Related: Maxine Sullivan Spouse (1938-1941)
Johnny Dodds [US1] Member of the Chicago Boys

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Originals

	Title	Performer	Release date	Covered by
i	Dawn on the Desert	John Kirby and His Orchestra	February 1939	(9 artists)
	Keep Smilin' (Keep Laughin', Be Happy)	John Kirby And Orchestra - Vocal by Russell Procope, Buster Bailey and Charlie Shavers (John Kirby)	May 22, 1942	Unverified
i	Nocturne	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1940	(3 artists)
	Pastel Blue	John Kirby and His Orchestra - Vocal Chorus by O'Neil Spencer	1939	(14 artists)
i	Undecided	John Kirby and His Onyx Club Boys	1938	(376 artists)
	Wondering Where	John Kirby and His Orchestra	December 5, 1941	Don Byron

Covers by John Kirby

	Title	Performer	Release date	Originally by
i	Anitra's Dance	John Kirby and His Orchestra	June 1939	Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edvard Grieg PRF, Victor Grand Concert Band REL
	Barbara Allen	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	1940	Vernon Dalhart
i	Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me)	Larry Adler with John Kirby and His Orchestra	1946	William Gillespie BRD, Artie Shaw and His Orchestra - Vocal Refrain and trumpet by "Hot Lips" Page REC,REL
i	Blue Skies	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1939	Belle Baker PRF, Imperial Dance Orchestra - Vocal Chorus by Arthur Fields REC
i	Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy	John Kirby and His Orchestra	March 14, 1941	The Orchestra of The Imperial Mariinsky Theatre conducted by Riccardo Drigo
i	Can't We Be Friends	John Kirby and His Orchestra	January 17, 1941	Red Nichols and His Five Pennies REC,REL, Libby Holman PRF
i	Chloe	John Kirby and His Orchestra	July 1940	Douglas Richardson
i	Desert Sands	John Kirby and Orchestra	July 1946	Stuff Smith
i	Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes	John Kirby and His Orchestra	June 1939	Emilio DeGogorza
i	Frasquita Serenade	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1940	Hubert Marischka
	If I Had a Ribbon Bow	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	1941	(unknown)
i	I Love You Truly	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1941	Elsie Baker with Orchestra
i	I May Be Wrong (But, I Think, You're Wonderful!)	John Kirby and His Orchestra	September 1939	Red Nichols and His Five Pennies REC, Trixie Friganza and Jimmie Savo PRF
	It Might as Well Be Spring	John Kirby and His Orchestra - Vocal by Sarah Vaughan	1946	Jeanne Crain [dubbed by Louanne Hogan] BRD, Dick Haymes with Victor Young and His Orchestra REC,REL
i	(I Wanna Go Where You Go - Do What You Do) Then I'll Be Happy	John Kirby and His Orchestra	March 14, 1941	Hall and Ryan
i	Little Brown Jug	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1940	Steve Porter
i	Minute Waltz	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1943	(unknown)
	Molly Malone	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	1940	(unknown)
i	Rose Room (In Sunny Roseland)	John Kirby and His Orchestra	March 14, 1941	Prince's Band
i	Royal Garden Blues	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1939	Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds
i	Serenade	John Kirby and His Orchestra	March 14, 1941	(unknown)
i	St. Louis Blues	John Kirby and Orchestra	June 26, 1942	Prince's Band
	St. Louis Blues	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	August 29, 1941	Prince's Band
i	St. Louis Blues	Larry Adler with John Kirby and His Orchestra	1946	Prince's Band
i	Sweet Georgia Brown	John Kirby and His Orchestra	March 14, 1941	Ben Bernie and His Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra
	The Hour of Parting	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	August 29, 1941	(unknown), The Original Yellow Jackets with Vocal Chorus Aubrey Yancey
	You Go to My Head	John Kirby and His Orchestra - Vocal by Sarah Vaughan	1946	Larry Clinton and His Orchestra - Vocal Refrain by Bea Wain

Releases

Albums

	Title	Performer	Release date	Label
	John Kirby	John Kirby and His Orchestra	March 14, 1941	Columbia [US]
	John Kirby and Orchestra	John Kirby and Orchestra	July 1946	Disc

Singles

Title	Performer	Release date	Label
Anitra's Dance	John Kirby and His Orchestra	June 1939	Vocalion [US]
Candy - A Trio Grooves in Booklyn - Schubert's Serenade - Toselli's Serenade	The King Cole Trio - John Kirby and His Orchestra	August 1945	V Disc
Can't We Be Friends	John Kirby and His Orchestra	January 17, 1941	Columbia [US]
Chloe - Chloe	Horace Henderson and His Orch. - John Kirby and His Orchestra	July 1940	OKeh
Frasquita Serenade	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1940	OKeh
Front and Center	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1940	Vocalion [US]
I Love You Truly	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1941	Columbia [US]
Impromptu	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1940	Vocalion [US]
Molly Malone	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	1940	Columbia [US]
Opus 5	John Kirby and His Orchestra	September 1939	Vocalion [US]
Pastel Blue	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1939	Decca
Royal Garden Blues	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1939	Vocalion [US]
St. Louis Blues	John Kirby and Orchestra	June 26, 1942	Victor
St. Louis Blues	Larry Adler with John Kirby and His Orchestra	1946	Decca
St. Louis Blues	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	August 29, 1941	Columbia [US]
The 1943 Super Rhythm-Style Series, No.s 117 & 118	John Kirby and His Orchestra	1943	Parlophone
The Turf	John Kirby and His Orchestra	February 1939	Vocalion [US]
Undecided	John Kirby and His Onyx Club Boys	1938	Decca
Who Is Sylvia?	Maxine Sullivan - Orchestra under direction of John Kirby	1941	Columbia [US]
Wondering Where	John Kirby and His Orchestra	December 5, 1941	Victor
You Go to My Head	John Kirby and His Orchestra - Vocal by Sarah Vaughan	1946	Crown Records [US1]