Paducah native, Nat Story's life showcases an epic time in American music. His early studies at Lincoln High School led to formative years with the father of riverboat jazz Fate Marable. His work at the Savoy with Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald, along with his service in WWII, highlighted a distinct moment in jazz, that made him the band leader he grew to be.
- Nathan Lynn, Local and Family History
Nathaniel (Nat) Edward Story was born on August 8, 1904, to Ephron and Ida Story. According to city directories Nat spent most of his childhood living near Paducah’s historic Bronzeville area where he received most of his early musical education. He was influenced by local musician Nathan Bennett, who is credited for introducing numerous Paducaheans to music, including Story who started on drums and saxophone when he was around 12 years old. Nat went on to attend Lincoln High School where he played in the school band and took to playing trombone.1
While trained to be a shoe repairman, the job never quite fit. Not long after high school Story was hired by Lincoln High alumni and father of riverboat jazz, Fate Marable. Marable’s mother had influenced Nat's musical training as his piano and band instructor at Lincoln when he was 15. The connection likely helped start Story's career as one of the greatest trombone players of the era. Beginning in 1924, his 5-year tenure on the river would provide him with the opportunity to play with Louis Armstrong, Zutty Singleton, Dewey Jackson, Floyd Campbell and others.2
“First, I had good parents. Second, Fate Marable, who led the band, was a strict disciplinarian. He put up with no foolishness. And third, I couldn't afford to live high. My younger sister was studying to be a nurse and I wanted to help her,” Story replied when asked by journalist Bish Thompson about how he faired during the early days after boarding the Washington with Marable. "It was hard, sure. We played from 9 a.m. to midnight. And there were some mighty rowdy crowds aboard. But I guess I was a pretty fair man with the trombone, and they respected that.”3
Journalist Suzanne Siems noted, “Story recalls the Riverboat days fondly. He started out on the St. Louis-to-St. Paul circuit, later played with a group from St. Louis to New Orleans. The musicians were advised to mingle with the people on the riverboats, he commented. No matter how dull the evening, they were told not to sit on the bandstand ‘with a stone face.’ The discipline was stiff. If a musician was two minutes late for rehearsal, he was liable to be fined $5. All of the musicians had to keep their shoes shined and their clothes pressed. The boat had a steam calliope and if any of the musicians played too loudly he was taught a lesson by being made to play the calliope. That calliope could really blast our note.” 4
Upon leaving Marable’s band around 1927, Story soon joined a combo led by Floyd Campbell and eventually moved to New York City where he toured with Bud Harris and His Rhythm Rascals, Luis Russell, and Sam Wooding. Soon after, he joined Chick Webb where according to music critic Eugene Chadbourne, “(he)contributed quite a few cubic feet to the towering stature of the trombonist’s discography.”5
Story recalled joining Chick Webb’s band around 1935 where he remained until after Webb’s death and Ella Fitzgerald took over in the early 1940s. He noted Fitzgerald as having a, “wonderful personality,” and that Webb had hired her for about $10 a week after she won first prize ($5) at the 125th Street Theater in New York City.”6
It was during this time that a Story performed on many recordings with Webb and the great Ella Fitzgerald. The University of Kentucky Notable African Americans Database, suggest that Nat can be heard on the recordings Stompin' at the Savoy, A-tisket A-tasket, and Strictly Jive. 7
According to the 1940 census, Nat was living on West 110th Street in New York City, near the North woods of Central Park and working as a musician, making around $2,400 a year. But by February 16, 1942, when Story registered for the military, he listed himself as living in a YMCA in Harlem. He served as Army Private First Class in the 47th Qm Trk regiment and was discharged March 15, 1943.8
After his service in the Army, Nat joined the Jeter Pillars Orchestra and toured with the USO troupe through the Pacific near the end of WWII, making stops in Manila and Japan over a span of a year.9
Don Pepper quotes Story as saying that it was during this tour that Nat experienced his, “biggest thrill in music.” Pepper continues, “It was a concert in the dining room of a big hotel in Japan. It was Mother’s Day, and Nat, accompanied by a piano, played about an hour’s concert of ‘mother songs-’Mother Machree,’ ‘Mother O’Mine,” and so on. It was soft, sentimental music, and Nat says nothing he ever did thrilled him more.” Quite a statement from a man who undoubtedly performed with some of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century.10
Story arrived back in the states from Yokohama, Japan on the ship Sea Star in Seattle, Washington in June of 1946. He returned to Paducah and married his sweetheart Elizabeth Beatrice Coulter on July 13, 1946. After a short stent working at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Nat took a night position with the U. S. Postal Service and started teaching music at Rosary Chapel. 11
“Well, you see, all my life I’ve been commercial. I’ve been too commercial. Every time something would come up, I’d ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’ This is the first time I’ve ever done anything much for somebody else.” 12
“The music he is teaching, incidentally, is not jazz, It’s regular concert band material. Nat is aiming at a marching military band of about 50 pieces.” Pepper notes. 13
While it is unknown how many Paducah musicians Nat influenced during his time at Rosary, it was surely a memorable experience to learn from such a legend. Pepper quotes Rev. Joseph V. Rhodes, pastor of Rosary Chapel as saying, “’I think Nat has a satisfaction now he never had before. He has found it in giving of himself to help others. His pupils have developed a real taste for music and have developed a great deal of poise and assurance.”14
Beatrice was also an educator and leader in the community. She taught at Lincoln High School and helped found the first black Girl Scout troop in Kentucky. She unfortunately passed away on August 10, 1955, after a yearlong battle with lupus. 15
During this time Story continued to play multiple nights a week with his own ensembles as the Nat Story Orchestra, Nat Story’s Dixieland Band, Nat Story Trio and Nat Story Quintet. They were regulars between Cape Girardeau and Charleston, MO, Paducah and Owensboro, KY, and Evansville, IN. Most notably the band were leaders in the Paducah music scene, performing at places like the Voors, Club 400, Silver Spur, and at private events. They even performed on the back of a truck during the 1956 Paducah Centennial Celebration. His ensemble during this time often included local favorites Joe “Mr Blues” Smith on violin and vocals, along with Jeff Massie on saxophone.16
In the late 1950s Nat married Evansville educator Allouise Jaxon and relocated to Evansville, where he continued to perform with a quintet and other bands, while also still working nights at the United States Postal Service. Here he found new love and respect within the community and jazz world, as the river town's most honored jazz musician at the time.
The September 9, 1961, front page of Evansville Courier included an article by Suzanne Siems, Nat Story Recalls Riverboats Era, Musician Friends, Concert Set Wednesday At Carver. His combo at the time included Joe ‘Fingers’ McAdoo on organ, Jack Ost on trumpet (arrangements), and Albert Sone on drums. Siems notes, “Story met Louie Armstrong in Paducah back in the late 20’s. Story was playing the Riverboat circuit at that time and the group stopped off in Paducah. Story later played with Armstrong of the Floyd Campbell outfit. When Armstrong was in Evansville last month, he dedicated one number to Story. Now he is one of the top jazz singers in the nation. Story came to Evansville from Paducah, where he had (a) dance band and was an instructor of music at Rosary Chapel School.”17
Throughout the mid 1960’s Story continued to perform and was a staple of the Evansville music community. While Story is credited for over 70 numerous appearances alongside Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and more, it's during this time that he released his own recordings. The Nat Story Combo is credited with a double side 45 release featuring Cha-Cha- and Nat’s Bounce, both arranged by McAdoo and released on Ace Records in 1963 and Story Records in 1964.18
He was also featured as a headlining performer at the forefront of the Evansville jazz circuit and appeared at numerous shows and festivals, atop his weekly standing gigs in the city. While continuing to work at the U.S. Postal Service, Nat noted to journalist Bob Sanderson that he had trouble getting enough sleep to hold down both jobs. When not working the mail sorting machine, his band was always playing19
According to Evansville Press Ed Klingler, “His combo probably is one of the best known in an area within 150 miles of Evansville, and it ranges from a trio to a quintet, depending on how much the employer is willing to pay.”20
The Nat Story Quintet appeared at the Evansville Jazz Festival, on Sunday February 18, at Vanderburgh Auditorium. He was presented with the 1968 Doctor of Jazz and was noted for his outstanding solo work that weekend.21
Through the late spring to the early fall of 1968 the Nat Story Trio could be found most Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights from 9:00 PM – 1:00 AM at the Hotel Vendome’s Town Room. The trio played jazz and blues, providing the Evansville nightlife with an authentic glimpse into the American songbook.
On the night of November 21, 1968, Nat was performing with Doc Stocker’s Dixieland Jazz Band at the Hotel McCurdy. After excusing himself to catch his breath outdoors, a passing citizen noticed him suffering a health episode. After being rushed to the hospital, Nat was pronounced dead of heart seizure around 1:15 AM on November 22, 1968.
He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville.
Paducah journalist Bill Powell noted, “There was a picture of Nat in the paper in Evansville. He was standing on the riverbank, against a stony bank with the water back of him. He was playing his trumpet [sic] with his eyes shut. You could tell that his suit was pressed, and his white shirt was ironed well; I guess his shoes were shined too. Nat looked as if the trumpet [sic] and the river were about all that meant anything to him, and I guess that is sort of the way it is.”21
To learn more about Nathaniel Story and other Paducaheans visit us at mclib.net
Listen to Nat Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM1-RgqqOTc&list=OLAK5uy_msqGYtKDEvicudDm3zmgLq5g1a7WWY34k&index=49
More Photos of Nat Story
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/575f4550-1360-0136-a951-07e15dece29e
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/09486e20-1360-0136-fada-654442c7294d
https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1863
NYPL Images of Nat Story performing with the Chick Webb Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3c37e350-7315-0139-8284-0242ac110003
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/09486e20-1360-0136-fada-654442c7294d
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/575f4550-1360-0136-a951-07e15dece29e
Citation
1 Don Pepper, “Jazz Pioneer and the Kids of Rosary Chapel,” Paducah Sun-Democrat, (Paducah, KY), December 8, 1953.
2 Bob Sanderson, “Jazz Fans Agree That Nat Story’s Music Hath Charm,” The Paducah Sun, (Paducah, KY), November 2, 1966. ; Ed Klingler, “Nat Story Jazz Music Heritage Has Roots in Fertile Mississippi,” The Evansville Press, (Evansville, IN), October 14, 1966. ; Pepper
3 Bish Thompson, “Bish Says: Nat Story Made It With ‘Bone Artistry,” Evansville Press, (Evansville, IN), October 26, 1966.
4 Suzanne Siems, “Nat Story Recalls Riverboats Era, Musician Friends, Concert Set Wednesday At Carver, Evansville Courier (Evansville, IN), September 9, 1961.
5 Eugene Chadbourne, “Nat Story Biography,” accessed November 7, 2023, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-story-mn0000933665#biography .
6 Siems
7 “Story, Nathaniel Edward "Nat." University of Kentucky Notable African Americans Database, June 13, 2022, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1863 .
8 “U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985" Ancestry.com. database on-line, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, MO, USA; Applications for Headstones, 1/1/1925 - 6/30/1970; NAID: 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General ; "United States Census, 1940," Entry for Nathaniel Story, 1940, FamilySearch, October 6, 2023, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQGD-G7R . ; “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 for Nathaniel Edward Story,” Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011 ., accessed November 7, 2023, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/194535828:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=8f1c3f54d7e554f2b592789672ad98dd&_phsrc=VzH48&_phstart=success Original content, “National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147. ; “U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985" Ancestry.com. database on-line, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, MO, USA; Applications for Headstones, 1/1/1925 - 6/30/1970; NAID: 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General
9 Pepper
10 Pepper
11 "Washington, Seattle, Passenger Lists, 1890-1957," Family Search https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDZF-XHL : 1 March 2021, Nathaniel E Story, 1946; citing Seattle, King, Washington, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1383, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; FHL microfilm 2,266,275.
12 Pepper
13 Pepper
14 Pepper
15 Carol Straton, “Pioneers reunited: Paduach’s first black Girl Scout troop recalls founders at 75th anniversary,” The Paducah Sun, (Paducah, KY), March 2, 1987.
16 Bob Sanderson, “Thousands View Parade; Pageant to Close Tonight,“ The Paducah Sun (Paducah, KY) August 5, 1956.; ”Jeep Jump,” Advertisement, The Paducah Sun, (Paducah, KY) June 30, 1956
17 Siems
18 “The Nat Story Trio,” Discogs. Accessed November 14, 2023. https://www.discogs.com/master/1724128-The-Nat-Story-Trio-Cha-Cha-Nats-Bounce .
19 Sanderson
20 Klingler
21 Powell, Bill, “From Bill Powell’s Notebook: Nat Story Is In Evansville,” The Paducah Sun, (Paducah, KY), March 13, 1962.