12 March 2024

Wingy Manone – One-Armed Trumpeter – Phantom Dancer

Greg Poppleton's Phantom Dancer swing jazz radio show

Wingy Manone (Joseph Matthews Manone) was a one-armed New Orleans, American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader. He is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist this week.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 12 March) and weeks of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

WINGY

“Wingy” Manone lost his right arm in a tram accident when he was ten years old, hence “Wingy”.

From playing trumpet and cornet professionally with various bands in his New Orleans, he gigged across America in the 1920s.

Manone’s style was similar to that of fellow New Orleans trumpeter Louis Prima: hot jazz with trumpet leads, punctuated by good-natured spoken patter in a pleasantly gravelly voice.

Manone was frequently recruited for recording sessions. He played on some early Benny Goodman records, and fronted various pickup groups under pseudonyms like “The Cellar Boys” and “Barbecue Joe and His Hot Dogs.”

His hit records included “Tar Paper Stomp” (an original riff composition of 1929, later used as the basis for Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”), and a hot 1934 version of a sweet ballad of the time “The Isle of Capri”, which was said to have annoyed the songwriters despite the royalties it earned them.

He also recorded, “There’ll Come a Time (Wait and See)” (1934, a.k.a “San Antonio Stomp”), “Send Me” (1936), and the novelty, “The Broken Record” (1936). He and his band did regular recording and radio work through the 1930s and appeared with Bing Crosby in the film Rhythm on the River.

In 1943, Manone recorded several Soundies, including, “Rhythm on the River.”

Manone published an autobiography in 1948, “Trumpet on the Wing”.

In the 1950s, he was based mostly in California and Las Vegas, Nevada, although he also toured through the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe for jazz festivals.

In 1957, he attempted to break into rock-and-roll with his version of “Party Doll”, the Buddy Knox hit. His version on Decca 30211 made No. 56 on Billboard’s Pop chart and it received a UK release.

Manone’s compositions include “There’ll Come a Time (Wait and See)” with Miff Mole (1928), “Tar Paper Stomp” (1930), “Tailgate Ramble” with Johnny Mercer, “Stop the War (The Cats Are Killin’ Themselves)” (1941), “Trying to Stop My Crying”, “Downright Disgusted Blues” with Bud Freeman, “Swing Out” with Ben Pollack, “Send Me”, “Nickel in the Slot” with Irving Mills, “Jumpy Nerves”, “Mannone Blues”, “Easy Like”, “Strange Blues”, “Swingin’ at the Hickory House”, “No Calling Card”, “Where’s the Waiter?”, “Walkin’ the Streets (Till My Baby Comes Home)”, and “Fare Thee Well (Annabelle)”.

In 2008, “There’ll Come a Time (Wait and See)” was used in the soundtrack to the Academy Award-nominated movie. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.