King Watzke

Alex "King" Watzke (1872-1919) was a violinist and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana. His band enjoyed fair popularity ca. 1900-1911. The band played ragtime, popular music, and possibly an early or ancestral version of what later became known as jazz. By 1904 Watzke's band's repertory included an early version of what later became known as "Tiger Rag" or a similar melody; he and his band called it "Number 2" as Watzke's practice was to refer to his compositions by number.

Alexander Constantin Watzke, Junior ("King") was the youngest child of Alexander Constantin Watzke (Senior), a member of the Louisiana State Legislature, and a leader of New Orleans' German community, who died in 1914. He had several siblings. "King" Watzke was one of the first white bandleaders to take up ragtime and jazz, what had hitherto been primarily African-American musical genres, and thus was responsible for more widely popularizing these musical styles.

Watzke decided to bill himself as "King" after the example of Buddy Bolden. It was reported that he gave coins to children in New Orleans' French Quarter to announce his coming, "Here comes King Watzke".

It is believed by some that Watzke and his band, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", were the real-life inspiration for Irving Berlin's 1911 song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", and the 1938 movie of the same name. Even though, for the motion picture, the name and city were changed, the basics of the story appear to ring true, according to family members, and New Orleans jazz history afficionados.

The following are reported to have been members of the band: Jimmie Kendal, Freddie Burns, Jimmy Ruth, Pat Shields, Buzz Harvey, Emile Bizard, and occasionally Larry Shields, and Ray Lopez (during the period of approx. 1903/08). Because sound recordings were new in that era, no known recordings of Watzke or his band are known. Also, no photos appear to have survived, even in his family.

His father, Alexander Constantin Watzke, Senior, was a successful businessman, in the hide and fur trade, who immigrated to New Orleans from Germany circa 1851. Many family members continue to live in Louisiana and elsewhere in USA, although Alex Jr. is not known to have married, or left any direct descendants.

His later years and his death, are a subject of controversy; it was believed by many that King Watzke died in the Spanish Flu pandemic. An obituary was published in The New York Times,and his inscription on the family tombstone in New Orleans suggests a date of death on January 14, 1919. However, an obituary published in the " New Orleans Times-Picayune " suggests an actual date of death almost a decade later, on June 2, 1928, for what clearly appears to be one and the same person.

King Watzke and his band are referred to in a scholarly book by Daniel Hardie, about the history of New Orleans jazz. The following were reported to have been members of the band: Violin or Bass Viol - King Watzke (leader); Trumpet - Jimmy Kendall; Clarinet - Freddie Burns; String Bass - Buzz Harvey, Emile Bigard; Guitar - Jimmy Ruth, Pat Shields. Sometimes Larry Shields (clarinetist) and Ray Lopez played with this band.

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