Red Prysock

Wilburt "Red" Prysock (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 1993)[1] was an American R&B tenor saxophonist,[2] one of the early Coleman Hawkins-influenced saxophonists to move in the direction of rhythm and blues, rather than bebop.[3]

Red Prysock
Red Prysock (foreground) playing with Tiny Grimes
Red Prysock (foreground) playing with Tiny Grimes
Background information
Birth nameWilburt Prysock
Born(1926-02-02)February 2, 1926
Greensboro, North Carolina
DiedJuly 19, 1993(1993-07-19) (aged 67)
Chicago, Illinois
GenresR&B
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Saxophone
Years active1950s–1960s
LabelsMercury

Career

With Tiny Grimes and his Rocking Highlanders, Prysock staged a saxophone battle with Benny Golson on "Battle of the Mass".[4] He first gained attention as a member of Tiny Bradshaw's band, playing the lead saxophone solo on his own "Soft", which was a hit for the Bradshaw band in 1952.[2] Prysock also played with Roy Milton and Cootie Williams.[2]

In 1954, he signed with Mercury Records as a bandleader and had his biggest hit, the instrumental "Hand Clappin'" in 1955.[2] During the same year, he joined the band that played at Alan Freed's stage shows.[2] He also played on several hit records by his brother, singer Arthur Prysock, in the 1960s.[5]

Personal life

Prysock was born in 1926 in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States,[2] and died of a heart attack in 1993 in Chicago, at the age of 67.[1][6] He served in the United States Army during World War II, which was when he learned to play saxophone.[3][5] He was buried at the Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina.[7]

Discography
  • Rock and Roll (Mercury, 1956)
  • Fruit Boots (Mercury, 1957)
  • The Beat (Mercury, 1957)
  • Swing Softly Red (Mercury, 1958)
  • Battle Royal with Sil Austin (Mercury, 1959)
  • The Big Sound of Red Prysock (Forum Circle, 1964)
  • For Me and My Baby (Gateway, 1964; reissued on CD in 2003)

References
  1. "Red Prysock | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 343/4. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  3. Komara, Edward (2006). Encyclopedia of the blues. New York: Routledge. pp. 787–788. ISBN 0-415-92699-8. OCLC 60590117.
  4. Radio, NTS (June 16, 2014). "Red Prysock". NTS Radio. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  5. Leigh, Spencer (August 23, 1997). "Obituary: Arthur Prysock". The Independent. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  6. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1992 - 1993". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  7. "Salisbury National Cemetery - Surnames P-Q - Rowan County, North Carolina". Interment.net. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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