Jelly Roll Morton famously introduced himself as the inventor of jazz. While that claim has been questioned over time, the New Orleans pianist undoubtedly planted the early seeds of innovation in the genre.
Morton was born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe on October 20, 1890, although some sources cite 1885. A Creole, Morton was of Spanish, French and African descent. He picked up the piano at the age of 10, and honed his skills in the New Orleans bordellos in the city’s red light district as a teenager. Morton. He combined the bouncy styles of ragtime and minstrel music with a touch of the blues, all forming the early framework of what is now modern jazz.