Trummy Young
| Trummy Young | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Young |
| Also known as | Trummy Young |
| Born | January 12, 1912 |
| Origin | Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A. |
| Died | September 10, 1984 (aged 72) San Jose, California, U.S.A. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Trombonist |
| Instruments | Trombone |
| Years active | 1928–1964 |
James "Trummy" Young (January 12, 1912 – September 10, 1984) was an African-American trombonist in the swing era. Although he was never really a star or a bandleader himself, he did have one hit with his version of "Margie", which he played and sang with Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra in 1937.
Young grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and Richmond, Virginia; he was originally a trumpeter, but by his professional debut in 1928 he had switched to trombone. From 1933 to 1937 he was a member of Earl Hines' orchestra; he then joined Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra in which he played from 1937 to 1943, scoring a hit on Decca Records with "Margie" which featured his vocal. With Sy Oliver he co-wrote "T'ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", a hit for both Lunceford and Ella Fitzgerald in 1939. It has since been recorded by many other artists and was a hit song in the UK for Fun Boy Three with Bananarama in 1982. His other compositions include "Easy Does It" and "Trav'lin' Light" (the latter co-written with Jimmy Mundy, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer).
Young joined Benny Goodman in 1945 and soloed on several hit records, including the #2 hit "Gotta Be This or That". He also played with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie on a Clyde Hart-led session in 1945, and with Jazz at the Philharmonic. In September 1952 he joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars and stayed twelve years (he performed in the 1956 musical High Society). Trummy Young was a good foil for Armstrong (most memorably on their 1954 recording of "St. Louis Blues"). In 1964 Young quit the road in order to settle in Hawaii, occasionally emerging for jazz parties and special appearances.
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