Al Hirt- Bar fight? Car accident? What really happened???

MFaddicted · Veteran Member Joined: 08 May 2014 Posts: 150

I saw Al Hirt perform at Twitty City....a long long time ago....his tone sucked, but he still had great technique.

I know he suffered an accident to the chops, but I can't get anyone that can tell me, factually, what really happened to Al.
I have heard bar fights, car accidents, and even a freak piece of rock on the street accidentally being flipped up by a car's tire...hitting Al in the mouth while he was in a parade.

Anyone know....the real truth on this one?

trpt.hick · Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 10:56 pm Post subject:

Someone (who was probably drunk) tossed a piece of cement at Hirt when he was being carried on a platform as the King of the Marti Gras. I never heard if it was an accident or on purpose.

deleted_user_02066fd · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

I heard Al at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford Ct. about 2 years after the accident. He mentioned the incident and it was as Trpt. Hick mentioned. He may have said it was a brick, this was over 40 years ago and my memory is not as good as it used to be.
He sounded fine that night.
Al was not in great health the latter part of his life and it showed in his playing.
He was the first famous trumpeter I heard live. I even got to shake his hand. I was about 15-16 years old and his hands were enormous.
He was also very friendly with all the fans.
Truly a great player.

jungledoc · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:20 am Post subject:

I don't remember how I first knew about Al Hirt, but as a boy of 10 or 12 I spent a lot of my hard-earned money (from doing chores for my parents) to buy 2 of his LPs, then played them by the hour. I'd just started playing in the school band, and I fantasized that I would play like him some day. Hasn't happened, at least not yet.

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tom turner · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:13 pm Post subject:

Indeed, it was a brick thrown at him during Marti Gras . . . ruining the chops of a truly great trumpet player who once had tons of power, a big fat tone . . . and he could tongue like a snake.

He was called "The King," back in the day, and was a featured soloist several times for the Super Bowl.

I heard him in his twilight years. His sterling tone was gone, as was his fearless stamina . . . but he was still quite a "decent" trumpeter. But in his day, he made us kids all dream of one day sounding like him. He's one of the reasons this former 5th grader took up the horn in 1961.
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tom turner · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:17 pm Post subject:

I did a quick search of the web, and found this new story from the 1970 Mardi Gras time . . .

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19700210&id=LSxUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NToNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5544,4880886
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Flip Oakes "Wild Thing" instruments (Trumpet, Short Cornet & Fluglehorn) +
Filp Oakes C Trumpet & Flip Oakes "Celebration" Bb Trumpet

Comeback · Heavyweight Member Joined: 22 Jun 2011 Posts: 1143

KingSilverSonic · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 11:06 am Post subject:

First of all, I recall that someone had indeed thrown a brick at Al while he was riding on a float and it did hit him in the mouth. A Hollywood script writer couldn't make this up, but it happened. I grew up with Al Hirt as my hero. I too purchased his LPs and listened for hours. As a high school senior I heard him play a concert and I have never experienced anything like that. I was toward the back in the cheap seats, yet he filled up that concert hall with music that only he was capable of doing. Later on, and early in my career I was in the French Quarter one evening just wandering around and looked up and there was the Al Hirt Club. I stopped and stared and contemplated going in. I decided that I would catch him later, but later never came. What a mistake.
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Mr.Hollywood · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Dec 2002 Posts: 1730

I got to know Al pretty well in the winter of 1980. He played 6 nights a week at the old Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood Fl for an entire month. I went pretty much every night, Paul Cacia would leave my name at the door.

This is when he was touring with a big band. He liked his drinking and his occasional bump now and then. His playing...well most nights he would just go through the motions.

But one night.....I brought about 7 or 8 trumpet players to see him, it was a weeknight so it wasn't all that crowded. We all sat right down front. Jumbo had already gotten to know me by then (the band had gone out for ribs once and let me tag along. I was only 17)

Let me tell you when he saw all us trumpet players there he played like a man possessed. No "Baby Elephant Walk" or "Java" he played Roy Eldridge's chart on "After You've Gone" and Maynard's "Rocky" and just nailed to it to the wall. He played "Holiday for Trumpet" like it was 1962 all over again.
That one night was the best I ever heard him play. I will never forget it.

He did make a comment every night in the show about the "incident". He said "I was on a float in a parade and some MUSIC LOVER hit me in the mouth with a brick". He said the first call he got was from Louie Armstrong. Louie sent him some of his personal "salve" that he had made in Germany. Al said after he put that salve on he couldn't feel his lips for a week.

Rumor has always had it that Louies "salve" had pharmaceutical cocaine in it. Remember it was made special for Louie in Germany starting in the late 1930's. Als not the only one to talk about the numbing effects of that salve. Don Goldie and Roy Eldridge told me the same thing......

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Chris LaBarbera

rothman · Veteran Member Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 329

In the sixties and good health, his size and hand strength would probably have deterred bar fights.

For some players when you hear them at their best, life is no longer the place you knew
( preceding it ).
Hard to articulate, but you know it when you hear it -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQ4acZw1a8

razeontherock · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:54 pm Post subject:

ohiotpt · Heavyweight Member Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Posts: 988

rothman · Veteran Member Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Posts: 329

bach_again · Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 2:27 am Post subject:

HornnOOb · Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:31 am Post subject:

Craig Swartz · Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:13 am Post subject:

Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596

homecookin · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Posts: 868

Robert P
That is very interesting.
I just checked Wikipedia, And they agree with your statement
that there are serious doubts whether anybody threw a
brick at his face. They further state that there has been no
independent confirmation of the brick incident.
They state that there has never been anyone else to confirm Al Hirt's version
of the story.

Comeback · Heavyweight Member Joined: 22 Jun 2011 Posts: 1143

Some may find this account of the event authoritative, others may not (scroll down to read article): http://www.neworleanspast.com/todayinneworleanshistory/november_7.html
Jim

Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596