He died at St. Luke's Hospital. The cause of death was not released to the public, hospital spokeswoman Kerry O'Connor said.
McShann, whose musical career spanned eight decades and earned him accolades from both blues and jazz aficionados, was born James Columbus McShann on Jan. 12, 1916 in Muskogee, Okla. Against the wishes of his parents, he taught himself how to play piano, in part by listening to late-night radio broadcasts featuring pianist and bandleader Earl “Fatha" Hines.
He hooked up with Parker in 1937, after hearing the sax genius' music coming out of a Kansas City club, and the two worked together off and on until 1941. Parker, who earned his nickname “Bird" while playing with McShann's orchestra, made his recording debut on McShann's “Hootie Blues" in 1941.
McShann's own nickname stemmed from an incident in which someone slipped him a loaded drink during a jam session. McShann, a nondrinker, was unable to play at the “hootenanny," and the sobriquet, shortened to “Hootie," stuck.
His recording career also took off again, and in 2003, his CD Goin' to Kansas City was nominated for a traditional blues Grammy.
He was the subject of a film, “Hootie Blues," in 1978 and was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1996, he received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
In 2000, the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City named its outdoor performance pavilion for McShann.
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