Johnny Gray (jazz guitarist)
John Willard "Johnny" Gray (* 2. June 1924 in Vinita , Oklahoma , † September 1983 in Spavinaw , Mayes County , Oklahoma) was an American jazz guitarist of modern jazz .
Gray grew up in Langley, Oklahoma , at times on his grandparents' farm, which he left when he was 16. He studied in Washington DC in 1944 and played with Ray McKinley in 1947/48 . From 1952 to 1960 he was a studio musician at ABC in Chicago. In 1960 he moved to Los Angeles, where he became a sought-after studio musician and accompanist. He has played in the Tonight Show from Johnny Carson under bandleader Doc Severinsen took with Frank Sinatra , Nancy Wilson , Julie London , George Shearing , Gerry Mulligan , Mel Tormé , Herb Ellis and Bobby Troup on. He toured with George Shearing in 1962 as part of his quintet.
Gray also recorded his own albums. He could play all string instruments, but preferred the guitar.
literature
- Carlo Bohländer , Karl Heinz Holler, Christian Pfarr: Reclam's Jazz Guide . 3rd, revised and expanded edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-15-010355-X .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gray, Johnny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gray, John Willard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz guitarist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 2, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vinita, Oklahoma |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 1983 |
| Place of death | Spavinaw , Mayes County , Oklahoma |