Lee Allen
Lee Allen (* 2. July 1926 in Pittsburg , Kansas , † 18 October 1994 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American R & B - saxophonist .
After his father's death in 1927, Allen and his family moved to Denver in 1927 , where he grew up. At Xavier College in New Orleans he took courses in music and sports, where he came into contact with the local music scene, so that he played the saxophone in Paul Gayten's band as early as 1947 in order to earn a living. Within a short period of time he was playing as Sidman from Fats Domino , Little Richard , Amos Milburn and Smiley Lewis . Allen and co-saxophonist Alvin "Red" Tyler , bassist Frank Fields and drummer Earl Palmer formed the backing band to the greatest New Orleans-based hits of the time, which were recorded in Cosimo Matassa's J&M studio.
In 1956, Allen tried his hand at playing solo for the first time. Two years later he signed a contract with Ember Records , for which he recorded his greatest success Walking with Mr. Lee . By 1961 he was able to tour with his own band before rejoining Fats Domino.
Allen went to Los Angeles in 1965, where he was on stage again and again, but also earned his money for a few years with an air freight company before a revival reunited him with Fats Domino in the early 1970s. From the beginning of the 1980s he was again in demand as a guest player for a new generation of musicians. B. for the Stray Cats or The Blasters .
Publications
- 1956: Honkers and Screamers
- 1958: Walking with Mr. Lee
Individual evidence
literature
- Jon Pareles, Patricia Romanowski (Eds.): The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll . Rolling Stone Press / Michael Joseph, London 1983, p. 7 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Allen, Lee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American R&B saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 2, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pittsburg , Kansas |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 18, 1994 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |