Photograph of The Donnelly Garment Company 1936 Christmas Party, hosted by Nell Donnelly Reed at the Pla-Mor Ballroom.
Pla-Mor Ballroom
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Publicity photo of Chic Scoggin and His Pla-Mor Orchestra standing outside of the Pla-Mor Ballroom on the sidewalk; caption reads: Yours for dance satisfaction / Chic Scoggin's Pla-Mor Ball Room Orchestra.
Pianist, band leader, composer, and vocalist Jay "Hootie" McShann is recognized as one of the most influential blues and jazz artists of the twentieth century, with a career that spanned over 60 years. A bluesman at heart, McShann helped shape the Kansas City sound which was heavily influenced by blues and swing.
Andy Kirk was never a topnotch instrumentalist, composer, arranger or personality, yet he parlayed his musical talent, organizational skills, and a series of lucky breaks into an enormously successful career as a bandleader. Although his musical legacy is not as great as that of rival bandleaders Benny Moten and Count Basie, Andy Kirk’s Clouds of Joy was one of the most popular big bands during the heyday of jazz in Kansas City and one of the first regional orchestras from the southwest to achieve national prominence.