Joseph "Wingy" Manone Papers (MS-00442)

Musician and trumpet player Joseph "Wingy" Manone was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1900. He got his nickname at the age of ten when he lost his right arm when it as crushed between two streetcars. He began his musical career by playing kazoo in spasm bands on the streets of Storyville, Louisiana.

Manone chose the trumpet because it was an instrument that he could play with one hand and he became famous as a jazz figure by 1930, at the beginning of the swing era. His early recorded version of "Tar Paper Stomp" later became one of Glenn Miller's greatest hits known as "In the Mood." His successful "Isle of Capri" was recorded in 1935 and established him as one of the great trumpet stars of that era. He appeared in many motion pictures including a co-starring role with Bing Crosby in Paramount's Rhythm of the River in 1940. Manone also made frequent appearances on the Crosby radio program. He fronted his own small jazz group for several decades and recorded hundreds of songs for major record labels. In addition, he wrote and arranged various musical scores and published his autobiography Trumpet on the Wing.

Manone moved to the West coast in the early 1940s, traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. He came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954 and made it his permanent home. He continued to travel while also performing in many of the local Las Vegas hotels.

Joseph Matthew "Wingy" Manone passed away in Las Vegas on July 9, 1982.