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Lester Young

Biography

Lester Young

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Overview

  • Born
    August 27, 1909 · Woodville, Mississippi, USA
  • Died
    March 15, 1959 · New York City, New York, USA
  • Nicknames
    • Prez
    • Pres

Biography

    • Lester Young was one of the most important saxophone players in jazz. He got a fine and soft tone with his horn, and it became very famous in the late 1930s. He played in the Count Basie orchestra and recorded with Basie his first recordings in 1936. He was a close friend of singer Billie Holiday and recorded many songs with her and Teddy Wilson for Columbia Records. He quit the Basie band in 1940 and started his freelance career.

      In 1944 he went into the army and this point in his life was dramatic; racial problems were rife and endemic in the army at that time, and Young wound up getting arrested. After this, he started to drink and his appearances in the stand wasn't as good as the times with Basie and Holiday. Nevertheless, he made fine recordings in the late 1940s on Alladin Records--for example, the famous "D.B Blues" and "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid". He signed a contract with Verve Records in the 1950s. His last recording was on March 4, 1959, in Paris. After this trip to Paris, he arrived on March 14 in New York and died the day after, of a complication of cirrhosis.
      - IMDb mini biography by: Eric Nesich (christyjazz45) (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

Family

  • Spouses
      Mary Berkely (1947 - ?) (2 children)
      Beatrice Tallvier(February 23, 1930 - ?)
      Mary Dale
  • Children
      Lester, Jr
      Yvette
  • Parents
      Lizetta Johnson Young
      Willis Handy Young
  • Relatives
      Lee Young(Sibling)

Trivia

  • Brother of jazz drummer Lee Young.
  • Played in the Count Basie Orchestra.
  • Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
  • He gave Billie Holiday her nickname of "Lady Day". In return, she dubbed him "Prez" (short for the "President").
  • Charles Mingus' song "Goodbye, Porkpie Hat" is dedicated to him.

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