Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden (September 6, 1877 – November 4, 1931) was an African American cornetist who was regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of ragtime music, or "jass," which later came to be known as jazz.

Was Buddy Bolden a Creole?

Bolden was not a Creole, but rather a darker skinned African-American, and therefore part of a musical tradition which was more 'gutbucket,' to use the terms of the day, rather than high brow and society dance oriented.

What was Buddy Bolden's real name?

Charles “Buddy” Bolden was born to Alice and Westmore Bolden in uptown New Orleans on September 6, 1877. Little did his mother know her son would soon grow up a young man whom everyone called “King”.