Sonny Greer

William Alexander " Sonny " Greer (born 13 December 1895 in Long Branch, New Jersey; † 23 March 1982) was an American jazz drummer in the band of Duke Ellington.

Life and work

Greer played with Elmer Snowden and in the band of the Howard Theatre in Washington before 1919 in Washington to Duke Ellington came ( his Washingtonians, a quintet ), in whose orchestra he played intermittently until 1951. Few records have appeared with Sonny Greer as a bandleader, but Ellington and his musicians was willing to accompany his drummer for a session in May 1929 - probably to make better known to the musician. The piece of this "Saturday Night Function" which refers in the title to the then usual rent- parties, was established in November 1933 Hiterfolg with # 14 on the Billboard Top 30

Greer has long been the first drummer Ellington ( and incidentally also designed drums for a company in Indiana), but was also a heavy drinker and an avid pool player who sometimes had to leave parts of his extensive drum sets at the pawnbroker. As Ellington therefore in 1950 a second drummer committed on the Scandinavian tour the band, came the break. Greer then worked with Johnny Hodges (1951 ), which he had left the Ellington band at that time and a short time existing founded a new band, Henry Red Allen, Tyree Glenn as well as several smaller formations in New York City, for example, in The Embers and the Metropole.

Ellington was also after the separation contact with Greer not tear, so he kept it even in the 1970s on the payroll of the band. He played at that time, for example, in a duo with pianist Brooks Kerr (where she played Ellington compositions ) and in 1974 he played again on the Tributes concerts for Ellington. While Greer was not one of the major rhythm musicians of his time ( in the Ellington band Duke Ellington himself was the best member of the Rhythm Group); but his long involvement with Duke Ellington is based, in addition to the loyalty, the Ellington proved its earliest members of the band, in its unusual technical skills and in the various variable sound effects that dominated Greer for the different arrangements, in particular for the jungle sound ( for the he additionally large gongs, tympani and a vibraphone served ).

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