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Jelly
Roll
Morton

1998

Ahmet Ertegun

A true giant of jazz. He did not, as he claimed, invent jazz, but there’s no denying that he was a major influence on the genre. Jelly Roll Morton was a master composer, arranger and pianist who blended genres in an early form of jazz.

Impact

If anybody invented jazz it was Jelly Roll Morton.

Ahmet Ertegun

1998 Hall of Fame Essay

Jelly Roll Morton in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? The man who invented jazz?...

Written By David McGee

sealed with a signature

This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.

Jelly Roll Morton

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