Johnnie Simmons and His Orchestra
Johnnie Simmons and His Orchestra sometimes appeared as ‘Johnnie Simmons’, ‘Johnny Simmons’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His 11-Piece Stage Band’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His All-Star Colored Band’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His All-Star Colored Orchestra’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His Blue Devils’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His Colored Orchestra’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His Combo’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His Rhythm Kings’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His Band’, ‘Johnny Simmons and His Orchestra’, ‘Johnny Simmons Combo’, ‘Johnny Simmons Orchestra’, ‘Johnny Simmons’s Band’, or ‘Johnny Simmons’s Orchestra’.
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East Austin Centers of Swing: The Royal Auditorium and the Cotton Club, 817 E. 11thin “Athens on the Colorado: The Dominance of the Universities, 1929-1946”The Royal Auditorium and Cotton Club were the centers of dance and Swing culture in East Austin during the 1930s.Read more…
The Forgotten Swing and Rhythm & Blues of Johnny Simmonsin “The Wild Side of Life: The Rise of the Honky Tonks, 1940-1950”Although scarcely remembered now, Johnny Simmons was one of Austin’s most prominent bandleaders and pianists between the late 1930s and mid-1950s.Read more…
Territory Music: Local Bandsin “Athens on the Colorado: The Dominance of the Universities, 1929-1946”The major popular music ensembles for public dances in Austin were territory bands, regional bands that created a unique Southwest lineage of jazz and dance music.Read more…
The “Germans” and the All University Dances, 1901-1946in “Athens on the Colorado: The Dominance of the Universities, 1929-1946”One of the largest congregations of young Texans in the state, UT provided the biggest source of live modern dance music and Swing in Austin.Read more…