Jack's Family Tree - the inspirations of musician Jack Norton.

People often ask what influences Jack’s unique, vintage sound and vaudeville-style presentation. We thought it’d be fun to share with you some of the branches growing on Jack’s family tree of inspiration. As a historian and musicologist with a deep love of American music from the 1850s through the 1940s, Jack’s influences include legendary vaudeville performers, jazz musicians, minstrel comedians, medicine show blues singers, and so much more.

Al Bernard
Al Bernard (pop singer)
Alice Babs
Alice Babs (jazz)
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (pop singer)
Amos and Andy
Amos and Andy (comedy)
Bert Williams
Bert Williams (comedy)
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy (blues)
Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby (crooner)
Bix Beiderbecke
Bix Beiderbecke (jazz)
Blind Blake
Blind Blake (blues & ragtime)
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller (blues)
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Lemon Jefferson (blues)
Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell (blues)
Bo Carter
Bo Carter (blues)
Butterbeans and Susie
Butterbeans and Susie (comedy)
Cackle Sisters
Cackle Sisters (novelty yodeling)
Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers
Captain Stubby (novelty)
Carolina Cotton
Carolina Cotton (country)
Charley Patton
Charley Patton (blues)
Cliff Edwards (pop singer)
Cliff Edwards (pop singer)
Coley Jones
Coley Jones (blues & string band)
Daddy Stovepipe
Daddy Stovepipe (blues & minstrel)
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt (jazz)
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (pop singer)
Emmett Miller
Emmett Miller (jazz & minstrel)
Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso (opera)
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb (country)
Esmereldy
Esmereldy (country & comedy)
Fats Waller
Fats Waller (jazz)
Flo Ziegfeld
Flo Ziegfeld (vaudeville)
Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon
Frankie “Half Pint” Jaxon (blues)
Gene Austin
Gene Austin (pop singer)
Gene Autry
Gene Autry (cowboy)
Hank Williams
Hank Williams (country)
Helen Kane
Helen Kane (pop singer)
Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas
“Ragtime Texas” Thomas (blues)
Howlin' Wolf
Howlin’ Wolf (blues)
Inka Zemankova
Inka Zemankova (jazz)
Jack Benny
Jack Benny (comedy)
Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton (jazz)
Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (blues & country)
Joe Venuti
Joe Venuti (jazz)
Johnny Marvin
Johnny Marvin (pop singer)
Judy Canova
Judy Canova (country & comedy)
The Korn Kobblers
The Korn Kobblers (novelty jazz)
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy (comedy)
Lee Morse
Lee Morse (pop singer)
Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin’ Hopkins (blues)
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson (blues & jazz)
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong (jazz)
Mae Questal
Mae Questal (pop singer)
Mamie Smith
Mamie Smith (blues & jazz)
Mance Lipscomb
Mance Lipscomb (blues)
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer (artist)
Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt (blues)
Moran and Mack
Moran and Mack (comedy)
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson (comedy)
Papa Charlie Jackson
Papa Charlie Jackson (blues)
Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman (jazz)
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson (blues)
Roger Miller
Roger Miller (country)
Roy Smeck
Roy Smeck (jazz)
Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallee (crooner)
Ruth Etting
Ruth Etting (pop singer)
Schnickelfritz
Schnickelfritz (novelty jazz)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (blues)
Slim Harpo
Slim Harpo (blues)
Sol Hoopii
Sol Hoopii (Hawaiian)
Spike Jones
Spike Jones (novelty jazz)
Tampa Red
Tampa Red (blues)
Ted Lewis
Ted Lewis (pop singer)
W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields (comedy)
Whitey McPherson
Whitey McPherson (country)