King Perry
Oliver King Perry (* 1920 in Gary , Indiana ; † February 5, 1990 in Bakersfield , California ) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues musician ( alto saxophone , clarinet , vocals ) and band leader .
Live and act
Perry played the violin as a child before learning bass, trumpet, drums and piano. Eventually, the alto saxophone became his main instrument after listening to Johnny Hodges with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the mid-1930s . During this time, Perry was a member of the local band Steel City Melodians . He attended Storr College in West Virginia, where he took piano and arrangement lessons ; In the early 1940s he formed his first band, with which he performed in Detroit and Chicago. He then toured with Dorothy Donegan , Scatman Crothers and the Nat King Cole Trio before moving to Los Angeles. His band (including with Wesley Prince ) experienced local popularity there, which gave Perry the opportunity to make recordings for Melodisc . Further recordings were made during this time with the singer Duke Henderson , whom he accompanied with his band. In 1948 he recorded under his own name for Excelsior Records , and in the early 1950s he recorded a number of R&B titles a. a. for the Specialty , Dot and Deluxe Records labels . Tom Lord lists his participation in 15 recording sessions from 1945 to 1954. Perry's singing was based on models such as Wynonie Harris , Louis Jordan or Cab Calloway . In later years he worked as a real estate agent, founded his own record label, Octive Records, and the music publisher Royal Attractions ; he has also performed as a soloist at the local level. Most recently he lived in Bakersfield, California.
Web links
- Portrait at Rockabilly
- King Perry 1950–1954 with Allmusic (English)
- King Perry at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Perry, King |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Perry, Oliver King (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz and rhythm & blues musician (alto saxophone, clarinet, vocals) and band leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gary , Indiana |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th February 1990 |
| Place of death | Bakersfield , California |