Sam Taylor (saxophonist)
Samuel Leroy Taylor, Jr. (July 12, 1916 – October 5, 1990),[1] known as Sam "The Man" Taylor, was an American jazz and blues tenor saxophonist, whose honking style set the standard for tenor sax solos in both R&B and jazz.
Born in Lexington, Tennessee,[2] Taylor attended Alabama State University, where he played with the Bama State Collegians. He worked with Scatman Crothers, Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Buddy Johnson, Louis Jordan and Big Joe Turner. He was one of the most requested session saxophone players in New York recording studios in the 1950s. Taylor also replaced Count Basie as the house bandleader on Alan Freed's 'Camel Rock 'n Roll Dance Party' radio series over CBS.
Taylor's saxophone solo appeared on Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll". And he played "Harlem Nocturne". He also played on "Money Honey", recorded by Clyde McPhatter with The Drifters in 1953, and on "Sh-Boom" by The Chords.
During the 1960s, he led a five-piece band, the Blues Chasers. In the 1970s, he frequently played and recorded in Japan.
Taylor died in 1990 in Westchester, New York.[2]
Discography
- Blue Mist (MGM), 1955
- Music with the Big Beat (MGM), 1956
- Rockin' Sax and Rollin' Organ (with Dick Hyman) (MGM), 1957
- Jazz for Commuters (MetroJazz), 1958
- More Blue Mist (MGM), 1959
- Mist of the Orient (MGM) E4066, 1962
- In Japan (MGM) SMM-1019
- The Bad and the Beautiful (Moodsville), 1962
- Misty Mood (Decca), 1962
- It's a Blue World (Decca), 1963
- Watermelon Man (with Frank Hunter and the Huntsmen) (Epic), 1963
- Somewhere in the Night (Decca), 1964
- A Musical Portrait of Ray Charles (with Leroy Holmes and his Orchestra) (MGM)
- Love You Tokyo (Crown), GW-7001 C.M.P. Nov.1967
- Ima Wa Shiawasekai (Crown) GW-7002 C.M.P. Dec.1968
- Hana to Namida (Crown) GW-7005 Dec. 1969
- Koga Melodies - Best Collection (Pony Canyon), c. 1970
- Eternal Standard (Pony Canyon), c. 1971
- Bokyo Shiretokoryojo (Crown) GW-7015 C.M.P. Nov. 1971
- Hit Melodies From Shi Retoko to Nagasaki (Crown) GW-7055 C.M.P. Jul. 1973
- Onna No Sadame (Crown), GW-7070 C.M.P. Nov.1974
- The Blue Mood of Sam Taylor (MCA) MCA-9050-511974
- Song of Street (Crown), GW-20051-52 1975
- Mood Tenor Sax(With Yokouchi Shoji, Kosugi Jinsan Three) (Crown), GW-20139-40 1975
- Sam (The Man) Taylor Vol. 1 (Crown), GW-20239-40 1978
- Standard Best Collection Vol I & II (Japanese), 1999
- Bluesy Sam Taylor (Polydor), SMP-2004
- Blue Light Yokohama (Polydor), SMP-2043
As sideman
With Ruth Brown
- Ruth Brown (Atlantic, 1957)
- Miss Rhythm (Atlantic, 1959)
With Freddy Cole
- Waiter, Ask the Man to Play the Blues (Dot, 1964)
With Al Hibbler
- After the Lights Go Down Low (Atlantic 1957)
With Langston Hughes
- Weary Blues (MGM, 1958)
With Quincy Jones
- The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959)
See also
References
- ↑ Allmusic biography
- 1 2 Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 131. ISBN 978-0313344237.