Background
Briggs was born in Saint George"s on the Caribbean island of Grenada on April 9, 1899, the youngest of ten children.
Briggs was born in Saint George"s on the Caribbean island of Grenada on April 9, 1899, the youngest of ten children.
He played the trumpet and eventually joined the 369th United States Infantry Band, but was too young to travel to Europe during the first World War. Briggs finally traveled to Europe in June 1919 while playing with Will Marion Cook and his Southern Syncopated Orchestra. Admired for his technical virtuosity and clear tone, he worked in the United States and Europe for 10 years before eventually settling in Europe in 1931.
He set up a band with Freddy Johnson, and worked with artists all over Europe, including Coleman Hawkins and Django Reinhardt.
Briggs was imprisoned during the Nazi occupation of France, he organized a band again when the war ended. In the 1960s, Briggs settled in Chantilly, where he taught music
