Boots Randolph

Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III ( born June 3, 1927 in Paducah (Kentucky), † July 3, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee ) was an American musician who appeared at the beginning of his career under the name Randy Randolph. He became famous for his saxophone hit Yakety Sax from 1963, which was used from 1969 as a theme song for the Benny Hill comedy show.

Life and work

Randolph grew up in Cadiz, Kentucky, and went in Evansville, Indiana, to high school. He had already learned saxophone from 1943 in high school. On August 22, 1945, he came to the army, where he played until his dismissal in 1946 in a military band. After his military service, he married Carolyn in 1947 Dolores " Dee " Baker ( born January 1, 1930 † July 8, 2011 ), the two had two children. Between 1948 and 1954 he played in Decatur, Illinois, with Dink Welch's Kopy Kats. When he ( with Jethro Burns) noticed the duo Homer & Jethro Burns recommended the saxophonist Randolph his brother Chet Atkins. This, since 1957 head of the RCA studios in Nashville, heard 1958 Randolph demo recording Chicken Reel and hired him as a session musician in the informal Nashville A-Team. Randolph began his career on November 29, 1957 in Nashville as a session musician with a recording session for Brenda Lee and then became a permanent member of the Nashville A- Team, which accompanied all major country singer in the recording studios of Nashville. The core of the A- team again played with Atkins, Floyd Cramer, Bobby Moore, Boots Randolph and Buddy Harman after the sessions at the Carousel Club in Nashville modern jazz. At the height of it brought Randolph annually to 250-300 jobs as a session musician. Therefore, the profession as a session musician allowed sufficient income so that he was not dependent on live performances.

He stood for the first time on May 13 Prior to 1958 the microphones; from a recording session from September 8, 1958 was the sung by him and played on the saxophone song Percolator produced which, although not in his home country, but in February 1960 in Germany under the title I do not want chocolate, I would rather a man of Trude Lord was known. On the B-side of Percolator of him and guitarist James " Spider" was Rich composed and from the title Yakety Yak the Coasters inspired instrumental song Yakety Sax, the (recorded in December 1962) in a remake was released in January 1963 as the A-side and Rank 35 of the U.S. pop charts reached. With this title, also the special saxophone style was known, which is referred to as a " chicken- picking" and with this name can probably be best described. The well-rehearsed by him shots, he played under the pseudonym Randy Randolph. As of November 19, 1969 Benny Hill used the song as his outro Benny Hill Show.

On July 4, 1960, he met with Atkins, Hank Garland, Floyd Cramer and Buddy Harman at the Newport Jazz Festival, from which the jazz album The Nashville All-Stars - After the Riot at Newport was born. Randolph has accompanied most of the female performers in Nashville. He can be heard on the Elvis Presley album Elvis is Back! (published on April 8, 1960); Here he plays an impressive saxophone solo at Reconsider Baby. He was the first and only saxophone player who ever accompanied Elvis Presley. Brenda Lee Let's Jump the Broomstick (recorded on October 19, 1958), Sweet Nothin 's (13 August 1959), I Want to be Wanted (27 March 1960), I'm Sorry (28 March 1960) are just a few of the title, in whom he accompanied Lee during 40 sessions by 31 January 1964. Roy Orbison took his services for Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel ) (26 March 1960), Blue Bayou (27 June 1961), Mean Woman Blues ( 29 April 1963 ), In Dreams (4 January 1963) or Oh, Pretty Woman (1 August 1964) to 16 sessions to 4 February 1966 claim. What Randolph himself failed to reached trumpeter Al Hirt in December 1963 with the Instrumentalhit Java - to come namely successfully even in the hit parade: Randolph played in the inclusion in the companion volume.

1961 moved from Randolph RCA to Monument Records, which he promised an improved solo career. The remake of Yaktey Sax brought him while a mean hit parade position, but not the big long-term success as an independent artist. In 1977 he purchased for $ 100,000 on Nashville's Printer's Alley the Carousel Club, which he sold again in 1994. During his career, he published more than 40 LPs. He was a guest on numerous U.S. television series, such as in the Jimmy Dean Show (March 5, 1964), Steve Lawrence Show (18 October 1965), Jackie Gleason Show (11 March 1967), Toast of the Town ( 8 February 1970 ) Hee Haw Honeys or (7 October 1978). Randolph died in 2007 after a brain hemorrhage at the age of eighty years at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.