Born on the thirteenth of February, 1904 in New Orleans, Joseph “Wingy” Mannone began his long career as a musician playing kazoo in spasm bands on the streets of Storyville, Louisiana. (He later changed the spelling of his last name to “Manone.”) He got his nickname from an early accident in which he lost his right arm when he was crushed between two streetcars at the age of ten. Wingy always loved music and chose the trumpet because it was an instrument that he could play with one hand.

Manone became famous as a jazz figure around 1930, at the beginning of the swing era. His early recorded version of “Tar-Paper Stomp” was later to become one of Glenn Miller’s greatest hits as “In the Mood.” His successful “Isle of Capri” was recorded in 1935 and established him as one of the greatest trumpet stars of that era.

He appeared in many motion pictures including a co-starring role with Bing Crosby in Paramount’s Rhythm of the River in 1940. Frequent appearances on the Crosby radio program firmly established Manone’s popularity. He successfully fronted his own small jazz combo for several decades and recorded hundreds of tunes for major record labels. In addition, he wrote and arranged various musical scores and published his autobiography, Trumpet on the Wing.

Wingy moved to the West coast in the early 1940s, traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles. He came to Las Vegas in 1954 and decided to make it his permanent home. For the next three decades he continued to travel while also performing in many of the local Las Vegas hotels. Joseph Matthew “Wingy” Manone passed away in Las Vegas on July 9, 1982.