Curtis Amy
American jazz saxophonist
Curtis Amy
|
|
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Born |
(
1929-10-11
)
October 11, 1929
Houston , Texas , U.S. |
Died |
June 5, 2002
(2002-06-05)
(aged
72)
Los Angeles , California , U.S. |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Saxophone |
Years active | 1950s–1970s |
Labels | Pacific Jazz |
Curtis Amy (October 11, 1929 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist. [1]
Biography
Amy was born in Houston , Texas , United States. [2] He learned how to play clarinet before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the tenor saxophone. [2] After his discharge, he attended and graduated from Kentucky State College . [2] He worked as an educator in Tennessee while playing in midwestern jazz clubs. [2] In the mid-1950s, he relocated to Los Angeles and later signed with Pacific Jazz Records , often playing with organist Paul Bryant. In the mid-1960s, he spent three years as musical director of Ray Charles ' orchestra, together with his wife, Merry Clayton , and Steve Huffsteter. [3]
As well as leading his own bands and recording albums under his own name, Amy did session work and played the solos on several recordings, including The Doors song "Touch Me" , Carole King 's Tapestry , and Lou Rawls ' first albums, Black and Blue and Tobacco Road , coinciding with Dexter Gordon in the Onzy Matthews big band, [2] [3] as well as working with Marvin Gaye , Tammy Terrell and Smokey Robinson . [3]
Up until his death, he was married to singer and recording artist Merry Clayton . [3] Their son, Kevin Amy has also pursued a musical career. [4]
Discography
As leader
- The Blues Message (Pacific Jazz, 1960)
- Meetin' Here (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
- Groovin' Blue (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
- Tippin' on Through (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
- Way Down (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
- Katanga! (Pacific Jazz, 1963) [3]
- The Sounds of Broadway/The Sounds of Hollywood (Palomar, 1965)
- Mustang (Verve, 1966)
- Jungle Adventure in Music and Sound (Coliseum, 1966)
- Peace For Love (Fresh Sounds 1994)
As sideman
With Dizzy Gillespie
- Jazz Recital ( Norgran , 1956)
With Carole King
With The Doors ~ the saxophone solo on their hit "Touch Me"
With Lou Rawls
- Black and Blue ( Capitol , 1963)
- Tobacco Road (Capitol, 1963)
With Gerald Wilson
- On Stage (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
- Feelin' Kinda Blues (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
References
- ↑ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia . London: Penguin Books. p. 13 . ISBN 0-141-00646-3 .
- 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin , ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing . p. 80. ISBN 0-85112-939-0 .
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Amy" . Archived from the original on 2016-03-03 . Retrieved 2009-07-17 .
- ↑ "Merry Clayton, co-star of Oscar-winning '20 Feet from Stardom,' soars on 'Beautiful Scars' after grisly crash" . San Diego Union-Tribune . 2021-04-04 . Retrieved 2021-09-24 .
External links
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