Earl Bostic

Eugene Earl Bostic ( born April 25, 1913 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, † October 28, 1965 in Rochester, New York ) was an American alto saxophonist, arranger and composer in jazz and later in the rhythm and blues and dance music.

Best known Bostic was for its distinctive alto saxophone sound. He also played tenor saxophone, flute and clarinet. The romantic, but also hands- Bostic sound of the band, usually in the occupation of Gene Redd, vibraphone, Fletcher Smith, piano, Margo Gibson, Bass, Charles Walton, drums and Alan Seltzer, guitar and Earl Bostic on alto saxophone was a the unmistakable sounds of jazz as well as both of rhythm and blues. His recordings were in the 1950s, " evergreen" in the jukebox.

Bostic enjoyed an elementary training as a musician and received from Xavier University (New Orleans, Louisiana ) is a distinction in music theory. He moved in 1938 to New York City and founded a jazz combo. In the early 1940s he played in the band of Lionel Hampton. In 1945 he left Hampton, founded again a combo, with whom he made ​​several recordings for the record label Majestic. The big success was, however, until 1948 the label Gotham in New York a contract completed and the Rhythm and Blues zuwendete. With the song Temptation he had immediately success (U.S. R & B chart # 10 ).

In the course of the 1950s Bostic took a lot for the label King Records of Cincinnati, where he brought out two very successful singles: Sleep ( U.S. R & B # 6 ) and 1951 his greatest success Flamingo (U.S. R & B number 1). The interpretation of the latter became his trademark. In the 1960s he took for King Records on several albums, their musical style tended increasingly towards the soul-jazz.

On October 28, 1965, he died of a massive heart attack during a performance in Rochester, NY.