Brother Jack McDuff

"Brother" Jack McDuff
Background information
Birth name	Eugene McDuffy
Born	September 17, 1926 Champaign, Illinois, United States
Died	January 23, 2001 (aged 74) Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Jazz, soul jazz, hard bop, jazz-funk, rhythm and blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, bandleader
Instruments	Organ, vocals
Years active	1960–2001
Labels	Prestige, Atlantic, Blue Note, Concord
Associated acts	George Benson, Gene Ammons, Dick Morrissey, Jerry Weldon

Eugene McDuff, better known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff, (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001) was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the 1960s, often performing with an organ trio. He is also credited with giving guitarist George Benson his first break.

Born Eugene McDuffy in Champaign, Illinois, McDuff began playing bass, appearing in Joe Farrell's group. Encouraged by Willis Jackson in whose band he also played bass in the late 1950s, McDuff moved to the organ and began to attract the attention of Prestige while still with Jackson's group. McDuff soon became a bandleader, leading groups featuring a young George Benson on guitar,Red Holloway on saxophone and Joe Dukes on drums.

McDuff recorded many classic albums on Prestige, including his debut solo Brother Jack in 1960; The Honeydripper (1961), with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest and guitarist Grant Green; Brother Jack Meets The Boss (1962), featuring Gene Ammons; and Screamin’ (1962) with alto saxophonist Leo Wright and Kenny Burrell on guitar.

After his tenure at Prestige, McDuff joined the Atlantic label for a brief period, and in the 1970s he recorded for Blue Note. To Seek a New Home (1970) was recorded in England with a line-up featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon and some of Britain's top jazz musicians of the day, including Terry Smith on guitar and Dick Morrissey on tenor sax.

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