1905年8月29日生于美国得克萨斯州的维尔诺。原名威尔登·里奥·蒂加登。蒂加登5岁开始随母亲海伦(著名的拉格泰姆爵士乐钢琴家)学习钢琴，后转学低音萨克斯管，置10岁开始演奏长号。此后，曾参加过美国西南部各式各样的州乐队演出 。1928年，蒂加登随凯利来到爵士乐的中心纽约。一次，他和本·波洛克大胆的演奏轰动了当时的纽约爵士乐坛，从此被人称为T先生。随后，蒂加登与当时许多乐队都有过合作，他与格伦·米勒指挥的乐队合作演奏的录音《低地街布鲁斯》和<比勒街布鲁斯)，已成为这两首名曲的经典版本。1933年，蒂加登与保罗·惠特曼签订了一份为期5年的合约，这份合约影响了他日后的发展，并最终导致他未能成为鲍伯·克罗斯比乐队的指挥。1939年，蒂加登组建了一支自己的大乐队，尽管这支乐队也曾有过一些闪光的时刻，但因乐队中没有一位著名演奏家，编曲缺乏个性等原因，乐队于1946年不得不解散。1940年，蒂加登成功地参与了影片《布鲁斯的诞生》的演出。1947—1951年，蒂加登一直是路易斯·阿姆斯特朗“全明星”乐队的成员，他们演奏的《摇椅》至今仍是脍炙人口的经典之作。1952年，蒂加登离开“全明星”乐队，担任一支七重奏乐队的指挥，这支乐队主要演奏经典的迪克西兰爵士乐。1957年，乐队在欧洲访问演出时，曾有著名的钢琴家厄尔·海恩斯助阵。1958—1959年，蒂加登率团访问了远东。1961年，他与老朋友埃迪·科顿合作在电视台演出以及录了最后一次音。1963年，在加拿大蒙特利尔爵士节上，蒂加登与弟弟查理、妹妹诺玛以及母亲联袂献艺，他们四人配合默契、感人至深的演出让人羡慕。1964年1月15日，蒂加登因心脏病突发在路易斯安那州新奥尔良去世，年仅59岁。\r \r by Scott Yanow\r One of the classic giants of jazz, Jack Teagarden was not only the top pre-bop trombonist (playing his instrument with the ease of a trumpeter) but one of the best jazz singers too. He was such a fine musician that younger brother Charlie (an excellent trumpeter) was always overshadowed. Jack started on piano at age five (his mother Helen was a ragtime pianist), switched to baritone horn, and finally took up trombone when he was ten. Teagarden worked in the Southwest in a variety of territory bands (most notably with the legendary pianist Peck Kelley) and then caused a sensation when he came to New York in 1928. His daring solos with Ben Pollack caused Glenn Miller to de-emphasize his own playing with the band, and during the late-20s/early Depression era, Mr. T. recorded frequently with many groups including units headed by Roger Wolfe Kahn, Eddie Condon, Red Nichols, and Louis Armstrong (Knockin a Jug). His versions of Basin Street Blues and Beale Street Blues (songs that would remain in his repertoire for the remainder of his career) were definitive. Teagarden, who was greatly admired by Tommy Dorsey, would have been a logical candidate for fame in the swing era but he made a strategic error. In late 1933, when it looked as if jazz would never catch on commercially, he signed a five-year contract with Paul Whiteman. Although Whitemans Orchestra did feature Teagarden now and then (and he had a brief period in 1936 playing with a small group from the band, the Three Ts, with his brother Charlie and Frankie Trumbauer), the contract effectively kept Teagarden from going out on his own and becoming a star. It certainly prevented him from leading what would eventually became the Bob Crosby Orchestra.\r \r In 1939, Jack Teagarden was finally free and he soon put together a big band that would last until 1946. However, it was rather late to be organizing a new orchestra (the competition was fierce) and, although there were some good musical moments, none of the sidemen became famous, the arrangements lacked their own musical personality, and by the time it broke up Teagarden was facing bankruptcy. The trombonist, however, was still a big name (he had fared quite well in the 1940 Bing Crosby film The Birth of the Blues) and he had many friends. Crosby helped Teagarden straighten out his financial problems, and from 1947-1951 he was a star sideman with Louis Armstrongs All-Stars; their collaborations on Rocking Chair are classic. After leaving Armstrong, Teagarden was a leader of a steadily working sextet throughout the remainder of his career, playing Dixieland with such talented musicians as brother Charlie, trumpeters Jimmy McPartland, Don Goldie, Max Kaminsky, and (during a 1957 European tour) pianist Earl Hines. Teagarden toured the Far East during 1958-1959, teamed up one last time with Eddie Condon for a television show/recording session in 1961, and had a heartwarming (and fortunately recorded) musical reunion with Charlie, sister/pianist Norma, and his mother at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival. He died from a heart attack four months later and has yet to be replaced.\r