Baby Dodds - The Relationship Between Baby and Johnny

The Relationship Between Baby and Johnny

Several accounts of the Dodds brothers suggest that they did not always get along. When the brothers were younger, Johnny got a clarinet from his father but Baby did not get a drum even though he asked for one. In The Baby Dodds Story, Dodds discusses his jealousy of his older brother when they were children. As they grew up, Johnny refused to let Baby play music with him because Baby was a heavy drinker and Johnny did not drink. When Joe Oliver hired Baby and Johnny saw how much Baby’s talent as a drummer had grown, however, Johnny changed his mind. Although they continued to argue about Baby’s drinking habits, they grew closer as brothers and musicians, and as suggested above, Baby was greatly affected by his brother’s death.

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