Johnny Gray (saxophonist)

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Johnny Gray (also Johnnie Gray ; born May 15, 1920 in Coventry , † June 17, 2014 ) was a British jazz musician ( saxophone , guitar ).

life and work

Gray first learned to play the piano and attended Bablake School, where he learned the tenor saxophone . He completed an apprenticeship as a car mechanic, he also played in various local jazz bands, with Arthur Howe (1941), Billy Monk (1942), Harry Parry (1943), Johnny Claes and from 1943 to early 1945 with Lou Preager . He then switched to the George Shearing quartet (1945), then worked with Harry Hayes and from September 1945 to October 1949 with Ted Heath , with whom the first recordings were made (" East of the Sun ", Decca , 1945). He also worked for Kenny Baker , Bert Ambrose , Robert Farnon and Lou Preager (1949), Frank Weir (1949/50) and until 1951 with Sydney Lipton .

In the 1950s, Gray worked again at Ambrose and as a freelance musician; Since the 1960s he has led his own formations, had club engagements and played on the cruise ship Queen Mary . In the field of jazz, he was involved in 52 recording sessions between 1945 and 1963. In later years he was employed as a session musician ; u. a. he worked with The Beatles ( Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , 1967), Dave Dee , Barry Ryan , Frank Sinatra and Dusty Springfield . In 1967 the Easy-Listening- LP Reg Tilsley Orchestra was released Featuring the Saxophones of Johnnie Gray - Full House Saxes! ; he also presented the album Sax-Cess ( Philips ) under his own name . He led his own bands until the 1980s. He spent his retirement in Telscombe Cliffs, Sussex .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b obituary (English)
  2. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography
  3. ^ John Lennon hated my mustache . The Argus, 2010
personal data
SURNAME Gray, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gray, Johnnie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH May 15, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Coventry
DATE OF DEATH 17th June 2014