Jimmy Bertrand
American musician (1900–1960)
Jimmy Bertrand (February 24, 1900 – August 1960) was an American jazz and blues percussionist.
Background
Bertrand was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, and was active on the Chicago blues and jazz scene of the 1920s. Bertrand recorded with Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Erskine Tate, and Blind Blake, amongst many others. In addition he led Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards. He was also a noted instructor; his pupils included Wallace Bishop, Lionel Hampton, and Big Sid Catlett. Bertrand died in Chicago in 1960.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Jimmy Bertrand” is american musician (1900–1960). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Jimmy, Bertrand and American, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “american musician (1900–1960)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1689309. VIAF identifies the subject as 22334302. The Library of Congress control number is no96064958. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1900 and 1960.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
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- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
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- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jimmy Bertrand” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.