New Orleans History -- Lake Pontchartrain
Saturday, November 09, 2024
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1954 Oscar

Oscar "Papa" Celestine
January 1, 1884-December 15, 1954
Oscar "Papa" Celestine was born in Napoleonville. While a young man he moved to Algiers and played cornet with the Algiers Brass Band and Henry "Red" Allen's Excelsior Brass Band. Later he formed his own band, The Original Tuxedo Orchestra in 1910 and the Tuxedo Brass Band in 1911. One of the cornet players in Papa Celestine's Brass Band was Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Celestine's band was known for playing wherever jazz music was needed--funerals, picnics, or dances. In 1953, the band played for the President of the United States.

Source: http://nutrias.org/~nopl/info/aarcinfo/notabl2.htm