Sonny Thompson

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Sonny Thompson (* 22. August 1922 in Centerville , Mississippi as Alphonso Thompson ; † 11. August 1989 in Chicago ) was an American rhythm and blues - a pianist , songwriter , music producer and band leader .

Live and act

The band leader and pianist Sonny Thompson was one of the most prominent R&B and jump blues instrumentalists who were popular in the late 1940s to early 1950s. He grew up in Chicago; after attending Wendell Phillips High School, he studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. In the city's clubs he was influenced by the music of Art Tatums and Earl Hines . From 1940 he worked as a professional musician, briefly interrupted by his time in the army, from which he was released after an accident. From the beginning of 1944 he appeared as a solo pianist; For a short time he also led a big band at El Grotto in 1945, the basement club of the Pershing Hotel, whose performances were broadcast on the radio. After the ensemble was dissolved, he continued to work as a soloist; The first 78 recordings were made under his own name in 1946 for the small Detroit label Sultan Records (“Southside Boogie” / “Sonny's Boogie”), later for Sunrise Records . During this time there were also recordings with the singer June Richmond for Mercury , whom he accompanied with a combo, as well as with the Dick Davis Orchestra ("Memphis Train").

In 1948 he had two # 1 hits in the R&B charts with "Long Gone (Parts I and II)" and "Late Freight", which he recorded with saxophonist Eddie Chamblee for the Chicago label Miracle Records ; "Long Gone" became one of the best-selling R&B records of the era and Thompson's signature tune. Further numbers were created for the Federal and Deluxe labels ; The tracks “Blue Dreams” and “Still Gone” were less successful. His band in 1951 included tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks and trumpeter Henry Glover . In 1951 he moved to King Records, where he made recordings with singer Jesse Edwards , the "Smoke Stack Blues" and "Uncle Sam Blues" and "The Mellow Blues (parts one and two)" under his own name. He then had other top ten hits in the R&B charts with the singer Lula Reed; the greatest success was "I'll Drown in My Tears", which reached # 5 on the charts and was later covered by Ray Charles . Then began a successful period of collaboration with Lula Reed, who together toured the United States on numerous tours. Thompson recorded records with Reed until 1959. In 1960 he worked as a songwriter for the blues guitarist Freddie King , for whom he a. a. wrote the title "Hideaway". In 1961/62 he worked on his titles "Side Tracked" and "Driving Sideways".

In the 1960s he was otherwise no longer active as an active musician, but worked as musical director, producer and A&R for King Records in the Chicago area.

Discographic notes

  • The Complete Recordings Vol. 1 (1945-1948) (Blue Moon)
  • Cat on the Keys (Swingtime, 1947-56)
  • Mellow Blues for the Late Hours (King, 1959)
  • Sonny Thompson Swings in Paris (Black & Blue, ed. 1972)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Long Gone" (Miracle M-126) became the most successful single in the race market in 1948 according to the annual ranking of "Billboard", "Late Freight" (Miracle M-128) landed in 13th place in the same ranking. 1948: The Year's Top Race Record Sellers . In: Billboard , January 1, 1949 issue, p. 14

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Thompson, Sonny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thompson, Alphonso (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American R&B pianist, producer, and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH August 22, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Centerville , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH August 11, 1989
Place of death Chicago