Sil Austin
Sylvester "Sil" Austin (born September 17, 1929 in Dunnellon , Florida , † September 1, 2001 in College Park , Maryland ) was an American tenor saxophonist in the field of rhythm & blues and popular music .
Life
Sil Austin began to play the saxophone by himself and was heavily influenced by saxophonists such as Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young ; In 1945 he won an amateur competition in Saint Petersburg with the jazz standard "Danny Boy". He was then signed by the Mercury Records label and moved to New York , where he studied at the Juilliard School of Music . Austin played briefly with Roy Eldridge , then from 1952 to 1954 with Tiny Bradshaw , before he founded his own formation, with which he toured. He recorded over 30 albums for Mercury and also had some hits in the top 40 with titles like "Danny Boy", which has now become his signature tune, as well as "Slow Walk" (with Ace Harris on piano) and "My Mother's Eyes". 1961/62 Chuck Rainey was a member of his band.
Discographic notes
- Everything's Shakin ' (Mercury, 1957)
- Battle Royal (Mercury, 1959)
- Plays Pretty for the People (Mercury, 1961)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Austin, Sil |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Austin, New Years Eve |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 17, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dunnellon , Florida |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 1, 2001 |
| Place of death | College Park , Maryland |