Bernard “Bernie” Attridge hails from Southend, England where he discovered jazz in his father’s collection of 78s. Bernie obtained a banjo in 1961 and taught himself to play. He played with traditional jazz bands in the Bristol area and then took up the string bass. Later he played with Benny Carter, Charlie Shavers, and Wild Bill Davison when they toured the United Kingdom. He also worked with the Avon Cities Jazz Band and Sweet Substitute. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1980 and settled in Chicago. In the Windy City, Bernie played with Mama Yancey, Ikey Robinson, Franz Jackson, Art Hodes, Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter Horton, and musicians from the Salty Dogs Jazz Band. He also played banjo with Ted Butterman’s Cubs Quintet–the strolling Dixieland band that performs at Chicago Cubs home games at Wrigley Field. Bernie moved to New Orleans in January of 1989, where he has played with the Dukes of Dixieland, Banu Gibson, Jacques Gauthe’, John “Kid ” Simmons and Lars Edegran, and at venues including Preservation Hall, the Palm Court Jazz Cafe’, the Steamboat Natchez and Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub.