He is the son of Samuel Dallas and Mary (Coker) Pryor. He is the husband of Ruby Pryor. He was a musician. He was a cornetist. He was born into a family of musicians. His Father was the leader of Pryor's Military Band, which was also known as the 4th Regiment Band of Missouri and was popular in and around St. Joseph in the 1870s and 1880s. His two younger brothers were also musicians. Samuel played the drums and Arthur the trombone. Arthur Pryor was arguably America's most important non-jazz trombonist of the early 20th century; on top of that, he was revered during the acoustical recording era for his skills as both a bandleader/conductor and a composer. Pryor, whose influences ranged from ragtime to European classical (especially waltzes) to 19th century pop, was never a jazz musician, but his recordings were admired by people in the jazz world (including Louis Armstrong) and arguably influenced Paul Whiteman's orchestra as well as some of the sweet bands (jazz-influenced pop orchestras) that emerged in the '10s and '20s. Pryor's well-known compositions included "The Whistler and His Dog," "Polka Fantastic," "The Victor March," and "Razzaza Mazzaza."
He is the son of Samuel Dallas and Mary (Coker) Pryor. He is the husband of Ruby Pryor. He was a musician. He was a cornetist. He was born into a family of musicians. His Father was the leader of Pryor's Military Band, which was also known as the 4th Regiment Band of Missouri and was popular in and around St. Joseph in the 1870s and 1880s. His two younger brothers were also musicians. Samuel played the drums and Arthur the trombone. Arthur Pryor was arguably America's most important non-jazz trombonist of the early 20th century; on top of that, he was revered during the acoustical recording era for his skills as both a bandleader/conductor and a composer. Pryor, whose influences ranged from ragtime to European classical (especially waltzes) to 19th century pop, was never a jazz musician, but his recordings were admired by people in the jazz world (including Louis Armstrong) and arguably influenced Paul Whiteman's orchestra as well as some of the sweet bands (jazz-influenced pop orchestras) that emerged in the '10s and '20s. Pryor's well-known compositions included "The Whistler and His Dog," "Polka Fantastic," "The Victor March," and "Razzaza Mazzaza."
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