(September 4th 1899 - November 14th 1969)

Born in New Orleans in 1899 Johnny Bayersdorffer was a cornetist who formed his own jazz group while still in high school in addition to working with a variety of local bands including those of Happy Schilling and Tony Parenti. His various assemblies were known for frequently playing at the Spanish Fort resort on Bayou St. John near Lake Pontchartrain. Bayersdorffer quite his day job as a civil servant in the Fall of 1924 to pursue his musical career full time and moved to Chicago. The bandleader also spent time in other cities including Indianapolis and Los Angeles before eventually returning to his hometown. After spending over a decade out of commission following serious injury in a 1940 automobile accident while on tour Johnny Bayersdorffer was back in action in New Orleans by the early 1950's. He would retire during the 1960's.