Bix Beiderbecke grew into a jazz legend because he was born in the right place at the right time. Sure, he was also a gifted musician, but his path to the top as one of the greatest jazz cornetists was fueled by the inspiration he drew from hearing the earliest jazz musicians play on
Today is the birthday of Bix Beiderbecke, the cornet virtuoso from Davenport, Iowa. As a child, Bix used to sneak down to the levee to hear the music coming from the riverboats, which was mostly jazz at that time. On one of those trips, he heard a young Louis Armstrong. Years later, Bix played a gig
Nick Spitzer, host of NPR's American Routes, talks about American roots music, river music, and changing the world.
