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Ben Tucker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ben Tucker
Birth nameBenjamin M. Tucker
Born(1930-12-13)December 13, 1930
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJune 4, 2013(2013-06-04) (aged 82)
Hutchinson Island, Georgia, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupations
  • Musician
  • businessman
  • composer
Instruments
  • Bass
  • tuba

Benjamin M. Tucker (December 13, 1930 – June 4, 2013)[1] was an American jazz bassist who appeared on hundreds of recordings. Tucker played on albums by Art Pepper, Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, Hank Crawford, Junior Mance, and Herbie Mann.[2]

He was born in Tennessee.[1] As bass player in the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, he wrote the instrumental version of the song "Comin' Home Baby!", first issued on the album Two Feet in the Gutter.[3] Bob Dorough later wrote a lyric to the song, and the vocal version became a Top 40 hit for jazz singer Mel Tormé in 1962.

Tucker released the album Baby, You Should Know It (Ava, 1963) with Victor Feldman, Larry Bunker, Bobby Thomas, Ray Crawford, Tommy Tedesco, and Carlos "Patato" Valdes.

By 1972, Tucker owned two radio stations, WSOK-AM, which had over 400,000 listeners, and WLVH-FM. Both of these were located in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. During the 1990s he owned a jazz bar in Savannah called Hard Hearted Hannah's.

He died in a traffic collision in Hutchinson Island, Georgia,[1] on June 4, 2013.[4][5]

Discography

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Leader

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Sideman

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With Mose Allison

With Dave Bailey

With Kenny Burrell

With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

With Lou Donaldson

With Teddy Edwards

With Gil Evans

With Dexter Gordon

With Grant Green

With Chico Hamilton

With Roland Hanna

With Willis Jackson

With Illinois Jacquet

With Quincy Jones

With Clifford Jordan

With Yusef Lateef

With Junior Mance

With Herbie Mann

With Warne Marsh

With Pat Martino

With James Moody

With Gerry Mulligan

With Mark Murphy

With Oliver Nelson

With Art Pepper

With Lalo Schifrin

With Bola Sete

With Jimmy Smith

With Jeremy Steig

With Sonny Stitt

With Billy Taylor

With Harold Vick

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 2013 January to June". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  2. ^ "Ben Tucker - Credits". AllMusic. December 13, 1931. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Dave Bailey Quintet - 2 Feet In The Gutter". JAZZDISCO.org. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Marietta Daily Journal - Georgia jazz musician killed in car crash". Mdjonline.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  5. ^ "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times.