Jean Kittrell

Jean Kittrell was an American jazz pianist, vocalist and educator. She was known as the "Red Hot Mama of Dixieland Jazz".

Early life and education Kittrell was born in Birmingham, Alabama, USA She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory from Blue Mountain College, a Master's of Philosophy from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in British Literature from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Career Teaching Kittrell's first teaching job was at the Alabama State Training School for Girls. She taught composition at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale around in 1967. until she retired in 1994.

Jean researched jazz history. She worked and performed with trumpeter Ed Kittrell, (her husband) in the Chesapeake Bay Jass Band. She played piano as a child at her church and for forty years thereafter at clubs and festivals, retiring in 2008.

Death Kittrell died on August 14, 2018 at 91 years in Edwardsville, Illinois, USA.