1914—New Orleans, Louisiana

A band led by trombonist Tom Brown is hired to accompany a New Orleans vaudeville act. According to historians, the band creates so much interest that the “music almost overwhelmed the two vaudevillians.” The band is later invited to perform in Chicago (where it bills itself as “Brown’s New Orleans Jass Band”) and New York, eventually changing its name to the Five Rubies (Dietrich 16).