Dolly Marie Douroux Adams - 1904-1979
Dolly Marie Douroux Adams (1904-1979) was one of the few women instrumentalists in the male-dominated early jazz scene. The daughter of Olivia Manetta and Louis Douroux, she played piano as well as bass, drums, guitar, and trumpet. Adams began playing the piano at age seven, receiving formal musical training at St. Mary's Academy and from family members. She launched her professional career at age 13 as a member of her Uncle Manuel's band.
Still in her teens, Adams joined Peter Bocage's Creole Serenaders and also played with Luis "Papa" Tio, Lorenzo Tio, and Alphonse Picou. She formed her own band to play for vaudeville acts on South Rampart Street and accopanied silent films there as a solo pianist. From 1922 to 1937, Adams stopped performing professionally but continued to strengthen the family's musical legacy by teaching her seven children a variety of instruments. Three of the Adams children, Gerald, Justin, and Placide, Jr., became professional musicians, and Dolly Adams formed a band with them later in her career. They played primarily on the West Bank, as well as Preservation Hall and Dixieland Hall.