Lucky Millinder
| Lucky Millinder | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lucius Venables |
| Also known as | Lucius Venable Millinder |
| Born |
August 8, 1910 Anniston, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | September 28, 1966 (aged 56) Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, jump blues, swing |
| Instruments | Bandleader, vocalist |
| Years active | c.1925-1955 |
| Labels | Decca, King |
| Associated acts |
Red Allen Wynonie Harris Bull Moose Jackson Sister Rosetta Tharpe Annisteen Allen |
Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American rhythm-and-blues and swing bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical taste made his bands successful. His group was said to have been the greatest big band to play rhythm and blues, and gave a break to a number of influential musicians at the dawn of the rock-and-roll era. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986.
Millinder was born Lucius Venables in Anniston, Alabama. He took the surname Millinder as a child, and was raised in Chicago. In the 1920s he worked in clubs, ballrooms, and theatres in Chicago as a master of ceremonies and dancer. He first fronted a band in 1931 for an RKO theater tour, and in 1932 took over the leadership of Doc Crawford's orchestra in Harlem. He also freelanced elsewhere.
In 1933, he took a band to Europe, playing residencies in Monte Carlo and Paris. He returned to New York to take over the leadership of the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, which included Henry "Red" Allen, Charlie Shavers, Harry "Sweets" Edison and J. C. Higginbotham, and which had a regular slot at The Cotton Club. Around this time he discovered the singer and guitarist Rosetta Tharpe, with whom he performed for many years and first recorded with on "Trouble in Mind" in 1941.
In 1938 he teamed up with pianist Bill Doggett's group. By 1940 had formed a completely new orchestra, which included Doggett and the drummer "Panama" Francis. He established a residency at New York's Savoy Ballroom and won a contract with Decca Records. Dizzy Gillespie was the band's trumpeter for a while and was featured on Millinder's first charting hit, "When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World)", which reached number 1 on the R&B chart and number 14 on the pop chart in 1942. The follow-up records "Apollo Jump" and "Sweet Slumber" were also big hits, with vocals by Trevor Bacon.
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