Most Chet fans know that he played on dentures for the latter part of his career, after having most of his teeth knocked out in a drug-related incident, which we don't need to go into, since there are several different versions of this story around and we'll never know which one is entirely accurate. However, it's less well-known that he had played for many years missing an upper incisor, which didn't seem to hamper his playing, and maybe contributed to his unique sound.
He was not the first trumpet player to overcome the problem of playing on dentures, and I've been compiling a list of other famous names who were in a similar position. So far, I have: Roy Eldridge, Bobby Hackett and Kenny Baker, but I'm sure there are many more ...
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