Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt in New York City on July 6, 1976
Background information
Birth name	Edward Boatner, Jr.
Born	(1924-02-02)February 2, 1924 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 22, 1982(1982-07-22) (aged 58) Washington, D.C.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Saxophone
Years active	1943–1982
Labels	Prestige, Roost, Verve, Argo, Impulse!, Roulette, Cadet, Muse
Associated acts	Billy Eckstine, Gene Ammons, Eddie Davis, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis

Edward "Sonny" Stitt (born Edward Boatner, Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording more than 100 albums. He was nicknamed the "Lone Wolf" by jazz critic Dan Morgenstern, in reference to his relentless touring and devotion to jazz. Stitt was sometimes viewed as a mere Charlie Parker mimic, especially earlier in his career, but gradually came to develop his own sound and style - particularly when performing on tenor sax.

Edward Boatner, Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. He had a musical background: his father, Edward Boatner, was a baritone singer, composer and college music professor; his brother was a classically trained pianist; and his mother was a piano teacher.

Sonny was given up for adoption in 1924 by his father. No one seems to know why Boatner gave his son away, but the child was adopted by the Stitt family, who raised him in Saginaw. He later began calling himself "Sonny". While in high school in Saginaw, Stitt played in the Len Francke Band, a local popular swing band.

In 1943, Stitt first met Charlie Parker, and as he often later recalled, the two men found that their styles had an extraordinary similarity that was partly coincidental and not merely due to Stitt's emulation. Parker is alleged to have remarked, "Well, I'll be damned, you sound just like me", to which Stitt responded: "Well, I can't help the way I sound. It's the only way I know how to play." Kenny Clarke remarked of Stitt's approach: "Even if there had not been a Bird, there would have been a Sonny Stitt".

Stitt had played in some swing bands in the early 1940s and was featured in Tiny Bradshaw's big band in the early forties. He replaced Charlie Parker in Dizzy Gillespie's bopbig band in 1945 and in 1946 made the first recordings under his own name for Savoy Records, which established his bop credentials.