Red Prysock | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Wilburt Prysock |
Born | Greensboro, North Carolina | February 2, 1926
Died | July 19, 1993 Chicago, Illinois | (aged 67)
Genres | R&B |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Saxophone |
Years active | 1950s–1960s |
Labels | Mercury |
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]
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]
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]