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Calvin Dayes came to the United States in 1949 as a Jamaican-born stowaway with $38 in his pocket. But, a long career as one of New Orleans’ most-respected cobblers put him at the center of local life.
Dayes – who labelled every shoe he made “By the JiveAss Shoemaker” – sported a Salvador Dali-like mustache and worked to the music of jazz tapes he arranged himself. He made kid-leather boots for Carnival kings, shoes for children in orphanages and custom footwear to suit clients’ varying sizes and abilities.
Read more about JiveAss Shoemaker in THNOC’s newest online article.
– Eli Haddow, The Historic New Orleans Collection