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Memory Lane -- by Jeanne Arrendale
Norma Teagarden                                             May 2005

 Norma Teagarden was the sister of Jack, Charlie and Clois (Cub). She was born in Vernon, Texas in
1911 and was taught piano by her mother. She started working professionally in Oklahoma City around
1926, then moved to New Mexico in 1929 and spent five years working in various "territory" bands. In
1935, she led her own band in Oklahoma City, then again in Long Beach, California in 1942. In 1944, she
joined brother Jack Teagarden's band and toured with him for two and a half years.
After this, Norma moved back to California and worked with Ben Pollack, Matty Matlock, Ada
Leonard, Ted Vesley, Pete Daily and Ray Bauduc. She again joined Jack Teagarden in 1952 until she
remarried in 1955.
 We lost Norma to cancer in 1996. The following tribute was contributed by Chuck Huggins, longtime
friend and supporter of San Francisco Jazz:
"When she made the decision in 1955 to marry John Friedlander and make San Francisco her home,
Norma Teagarden was just 44 years old. She was by then an established rarity within the
predominantly male world of jazz bands--a female jazz pianist who could not only hold her own against
any male jazz pianist of those times, but excel as well artistically."
 Back in Texas, Norma was born into a tightly-knit musical family within which everyone played an
instrument--Mom and Dad and her three brothers Jack, Charlie, and Cub. That took her on the road for
many years with Jack's band and others.
 After settling down in the San Francisco Bay Area, Norma soon became an integral part of the
Traditional Jazz scene and its culture. Alongside Turk Murphy and other jazz giants of the time, she
brought great pleasure to her audiences. Sweet, humorous and a perfect lady at all times, her constant
hope was that she would make people happy with her music and her approach to life.
When Norma passed away on June 5, 1996, she had accomplished just that, surely leaving behind a
legacy of joy and appreciation amongst a multitude of admirers.

Courtesy Jim Cullum - Riverwalk
E-Rag
Electronic Newsletter for EARLYJAS
Editor:  Phil Cartwright                           Editor@earlyjas.org
Earlville Association for Ragtime Lovers Yearning
for Jazz Advancement and Socialization
EARLYJAS