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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBOSTIC, Earl(b 24 April 1913, Tulsa OK; d 28 October 1965, Rochester NY) Alto sax, leader. With Don Redman, Cab Calloway, others; arranged for many bands: 'Let Me Off Uptown' for Gene Krupa, etc. He led his own band '41, worked for Lionel Hampton, then his own groups from '45: he recorded for Allegro, Gotham, then King '49-63, successful with an extrovert small combo. In the early '50s nearly every juke box in a black neighbourhood had Bostic records on it, and many a white box as well. 'Flamingo' was a no. 1 R&B hit '51; 'Sleep' no. 9 same year. Other hits included 'You Go To My Head', 'Cherokee', 'Temptation'. Over the years Bostic sidemen included Al Casey, John Coltrane, drummers Earl Palmer and Specs Wright, guitarist Mickey Baker, Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson, Bill Doggett, many more. He recorded nearly 400 selections for King, but fans trying to collect them all would get confused: many were stereo remakes with different personnel, but King used the same album numbers: e.g. KING LP571, Bostic Rocks Hits Of The Swing Age, was recorded in Los Angeles '57 and again in Cincinnati '59 with an entirely different group. He had a heart attack; resumed music part-time in '59, was elected to an all-star band in a Playboy poll. He made LPs with more jazz content: '63 tracks with Richard 'Groove' Holmes, Joe Pass on guitar, bass and drums included Jazz As I Feel It and A New Sound (the former reissued on Le Jazz CD UK as Jazz Time '96). He was said to have developed technique at the price of a strident tone; but Art Blakey said, 'Nobody knew more about the saxophone than Bostic, I mean technically, and that includes Bird.' On King CDs: Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom Wine, Dance Music From The Bostic Workshop, For You, several more. |