Lee Allen (musician): Difference between revisions
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He fell into the city's thriving music scene, performing or recording with dozens of musicians in the early days of [[rock and roll]] and [[rhythm and blues]]. In 1947, he joined the [[Paul Gayten]] Band and later, the [[Dave Bartholomew]] Band.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Ed |date=2016 |title=The History of Rock & Roll, volume one, 1920–1963 |url= |
He fell into the city's thriving music scene, performing or recording with dozens of musicians in the early days of [[rock and roll]] and [[rhythm and blues]]. In 1947, he joined the [[Paul Gayten]] Band and later, the [[Dave Bartholomew]] Band.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Ed |date=2016 |title=The History of Rock & Roll, volume one, 1920–1963 |url= |
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|location=New York |publisher=Flatiron Books |page=59 |isbn=978-1-250-07116-3 |author-link=Ed Ward (writer)}}</ref> Notable are his |
|location=New York |publisher=Flatiron Books |page=59 |isbn=978-1-250-07116-3 |author-link=Ed Ward (writer)}}</ref> Notable are his recordings with the singers [[Fats Domino]] and [[Lloyd Price]]. Allen also was the sax soloist on most of [[Little Richard]]'s epochal hits from 1955 and 1956.{{sfn|Ward|2016|p=107}} [[Earl King]], whom Allen backed, recalled that Allen was "part of the wallpaper" at [[Cosimo Matassa]]'s studio, and that Allen was on all the records by [[Huey "Piano" Smith]].<ref name="offbeat"/> Allen and drummer [[Earl Palmer]] also backed [[Professor Longhair]] on many recordings. |
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His own [[instrumental rock|instrumental]], "Walkin' with Mr. Lee", released by [[Ember Records (US label)|Ember Records]], was a minor hit in 1958, partly because it was frequently played on the television program ''[[American Bandstand]]''. This and Allen's subsequent singles are collected on the album also called "Walkin' with Mr. Lee".<ref name="offbeat"/> |
His own [[instrumental rock|instrumental]], "Walkin' with Mr. Lee", released by [[Ember Records (US label)|Ember Records]], was a minor hit in 1958, partly because it was frequently played on the television program ''[[American Bandstand]]''. This and Allen's subsequent singles are collected on the album also called "Walkin' with Mr. Lee".<ref name="offbeat"/> |
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Revision as of 13:04, 16 September 2019
Lee Francis Allen[1] (July 2, 1927 – October 18, 1994) was an American tenor saxophone player. Allen's distinctive tone has been hailed as "one of the defining sounds of rock 'n' roll" and "one of the DNA strands of rock."[2]
Allen was a key figure in New Orleans rock and roll of the 1950s and recorded with many leading performers of the early rock and roll era. He was semiretired from music by the late 1960s, but in the late 1970s returned to performing intermittently until the end of his life.
Biography
Allen was born in Pittsburg, Kansas, and raised largely in Denver, Colorado.[1] He played saxophone from his childhood. A combined athletics and music scholarship from Xavier University led to his relocating to New Orleans in 1943.[2]
He fell into the city's thriving music scene, performing or recording with dozens of musicians in the early days of rock and roll and rhythm and blues. In 1947, he joined the Paul Gayten Band and later, the Dave Bartholomew Band.[3] Notable are his recordings with the singers Fats Domino and Lloyd Price. Allen also was the sax soloist on most of Little Richard's epochal hits from 1955 and 1956.[4] Earl King, whom Allen backed, recalled that Allen was "part of the wallpaper" at Cosimo Matassa's studio, and that Allen was on all the records by Huey "Piano" Smith.[2] Allen and drummer Earl Palmer also backed Professor Longhair on many recordings.
His own instrumental, "Walkin' with Mr. Lee", released by Ember Records, was a minor hit in 1958, partly because it was frequently played on the television program American Bandstand. This and Allen's subsequent singles are collected on the album also called "Walkin' with Mr. Lee".[2]
By the mid-1960s, Allen saw the city of New Orleans no longer the recording mecca it was for almost a decade. So he soon followed Earl Palmer's lead and moved to southern California in 1965, performing only occasionally on tours with Fats Domino. He found work at an aircraft manufacturing plant by day and also fell easily into the thriving R & B scene by night.[2]
The rockabilly revival of the late 1970s found younger musicians seeking Allen's distinctive saxophone. He recorded with the Stray Cats and was a mentor to and eventually a member of the Blasters. Allen recorded with them on all of their albums (except their debut album, Rollin' Rock) from their second and all subsequent releases on Slash/Warner Bros. He also toured with them from the early 1980s until he died of cancer in 1994.[2]
Allen played three shows in October 1981 with the Rolling Stones: on October 1 at the Metro Centre, in Rockford, Illinois, and on October 3 and 4 at Folsom Field, in Boulder, Colorado.[5]
After Allen's death, Blasters member Dave Alvin dedicated the song "Mister Lee" (on the 1996 album Interstate City to Allen. Alvin noted that melody was Allen's passion, and that it was what separated him from less sophisticated honkers. Earl King added that whereas other saxophonists would get too jazzy, Allen had commercial appeal.[2]
Partial discography
- "Chuggin'" b/w "Tic Toc", Lee Allen and His Band, Ember Records 7" E-1039X (Canada)
References
- ^ a b Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 354. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kunian, Dave (December 1, 2000). "Masters Of Louisiana Music: Lee Allen". Offbeat.
- ^ Ward, Ed (2016). The History of Rock & Roll, volume one, 1920–1963. New York: Flatiron Books. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-250-07116-3.
- ^ Ward 2016, p. 107.
- ^ MacLagan, Ian (1998). All the Rage. Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 978-0283063343.
External links
- Saxophone Solos: Lee Allen
- Lee Allen discography at MusicBrainz
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