by David Witter

In an entertainment career that spanned 70 years, Joseph "Wingy" Manone become one of the pioneers of jazz despite losing his right arm in a childhood bicycling accident.

Growing up in New Orleans at the turn of the century, he would listen to the music that floated across the bayou from the black section of town, and was moved to emulate it. Wearing a prosthetic, he played on riverboats after World War II, and made his first record in 1924.

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Source: Italian American Voice