Red Prysock | |
|---|---|
_(LOC)_(5306976800).jpg')) Red Prysock (foreground) playing with Tiny Grimes | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wilburt Prysock |
| Born | February 2, 1926 Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Died | July 19, 1993 (aged 67) Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1950s–1960s |
| Labels | Mercury |
Wilburt Prysock (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 1993),[1] known professionally as Red Prysock, was an American rhythm and blues tenor saxophonist,[2] one of the early Coleman Hawkins-influenced saxophonists to move in the direction of rhythm and blues, rather than bebop.[3]
Career
With Tiny Grimes and his Rocking Highlanders, Prysock staged a saxophone battle with Benny Golson on "Battle of the Mass".[4] He first gained attention as a member of Tiny Bradshaw's band, playing the lead saxophone solo on his own "Soft", which was a hit for the Bradshaw band in 1952.[2] Prysock also played with Roy Milton and Cootie Williams.[2]
In 1954, he signed with Mercury Records as a bandleader and had his biggest hit, the instrumental "Hand Clappin'" in 1955.[2] During the same year, he joined the band that played at Alan Freed's stage shows.[2] He also played on several hit records by his brother, the singer Arthur Prysock, in the 1960s.[5]
Personal life
Prysock was born in 1926 in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States,[2] and died of a heart attack in 1993 in Chicago, at the age of 67.[1][6] He served in the United States Army during World War II which was when he learned to play saxophone.[3][5] He was buried at the Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina.[7]
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Red Prysock among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[8]
Discography
- Rock and Roll (Mercury, 1956)
- Fruit Boots (Mercury, 1957)
- The Beat (Mercury, 1957)
- Swing Softly Red (Mercury, 1958)
- Battle Royal with Sil Austin (Mercury, 1959)
- The Big Sound of Red Prysock (Forum Circle, 1964)
- For Me and My Baby (Gateway, 1964; reissued on CD in 2003)
References
- ^ a b "Red Prysock | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 343/4. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ a b Komara, Edward (2006). Encyclopedia of the blues. New York: Routledge. pp. 787–788. ISBN 0-415-92699-8. OCLC 60590117.
- ^ Radio, NTS (June 16, 2014). "Red Prysock". NTS Radio. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Leigh, Spencer (August 23, 1997). "Obituary: Arthur Prysock". The Independent. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1992 - 1993". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Salisbury National Cemetery - Surnames P-Q - Rowan County, North Carolina". Interment.net. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.