Gene Conners

Who was Gene Conners?

Gene Conners or Connors was an American trombonist and singer. He was known as "The Mighty Flea".

The birth spelling of his name was actually Conner. He grew up on New Orleans, and may have played with Papa Celestin when he was eleven years old. As a teenager he played at jazz funerals and with territory bands, and served in the Navy during the Korean War. Following this he played with Johnny Otis; his nickname was given to him by Bardu Ali while he was in Otis's band.

Conners played with his own ensemble in Long Beach, California in the 1950s, and subsequently played with Ray Charles and Dinah Washington. In 1969 he returned to work with Otis, playing with him at the Monterey Jazz Festival and appearing in the film Play Misty for Me in 1971. He continued touring the world with Otis through 1974; concomitantly he played in Europe in 1973 with Illinois Jacquet and Jo Jones. In 1975 he appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

He moved to Europe, living in France, Denmark, and Germany, playing in swing jazz, Dixieland jazz, and blues ensembles. He collaborated with Catalan ensemble La Locomotora Negra in 1983. In this period, too, he recorded in Germany two R&B-albums with the English guitarist und songwriter John C. Marshall.