Karl George

Who was Karl George?

Karl Curtis George was an American jazz trumpeter. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

Early in his career George played with McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Cecil Lee. Later in the 1930s he spent time in the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra and then in the orchestras of Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton. He served in the Army in 1942-43, then moved to California and played with Stan Kenton, Benny Carter, Count Basie, and Happy Johnson. He led his own group on record in 1945-46, and played in sessions led by Charles Mingus, Slim Gaillard, Oscar Pettiford, Dinah Washington, and Lucky Thompson. George retired from music after the late 1940s due to ill health.