"E Russell Noodles Smith"(?-1952)

So named because he always kept enough money for a bowl of noodles,after a night of gambling,he is considered to be "the father-or perhaps the midwife-of Seattle Jazz."Russell arrived in Seattle during the Alaska Yukon Pacific  Exhibition in 1909 with $17,000 that he claimed he won during a three night gambling spree.With a mind for business and a keen eye on the purse strings,he amassed a fortune from gambling,real estate,and bootlegging and he dominated the nightclub scene that formed the backdrop for Seattle Jazz from the 1920s to the 1940s.The clubs were located on Jackson Street the heart of Seattle's African American jazz scene.The club was the frequent target of racist police raids.After a raid in 1933,newspapers sided with Russell,calling the police "Malicious,"and accusing them of the unprovoked beatings' of African Americans bystanders.Seattle police were infuriated by the reports,especially since several cops were beaten down in the dark during the raid and forced to retreat.Russell was also frequently targeted by police because he was the one club owner who remained unaffected by the Great Depression