Teddy Powell

Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell
Background information
Birth name	Teodoro Paolella
Born	(1905-03-01)March 1, 1905 Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	November 17, 1993(1993-11-17) (aged 88) New York City
Genres	Jazz, swing
Occupation(s)	Musician, bandleader
Instruments	Guitar
Labels	Decca, Bluebird

Teddy Powell (Teodoro Paolella) (March 1, 1905 – November 17, 1993) was an American jazz guitarist, composer, and big-band leader. Some of his compositions were written under the pseudonym Freddy James.

Career

Powell began playing violin when he was eight and picked up the banjo when he was fourteen. At fifteen, he led his first band. During the late 1920s to the early 1930s, he was a member of the Abe Lyman orchestra, taking on the additional tasks of gathering radio bands. He formed the Teddy Powell Orchestra in 1938 and it performed through the 1940s. Powell's sidemen included Tony Aless, Gus Bivona, Pete Candoli, Irving Fazola, and Charlie Ventura. After the band folded, Powell wrote music and arrangements. He had hits with "Bewildered" and "If My Heart Could Only Talk". During the latter part of his career, he worked in music publishing.^[1]

References