Lee Collins

American jazz and blues trumpeter, cornettist and bandleader Born 17 October 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Died: 3 July 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1910s he played in New Orleans with Louis Armstrong, Papa Celestin and Zutty Singleton. 1924 he moved to Chicago and replaced Louis Armstrong in King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, In the 1930 he played with Dave Peyton, The Chicago Ramblers, Johnny Dodds and others. After 1945 he let his own band including gigs with Chippie Hill (1946), Kid Ory (1948), and Art Hodes (1950-51). With Mezz Mezzrow he toured Europe in 1951 and 1954 and played 1953 with Joe Sullivan in California. In the mid-1950s he retired due to illness.