Milton Brent Buckner (July 10, 1915 – July 27, 1977) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist and organist, who in the early 1950s popularized the

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

.Arwulf Arwulf
Milt Buckner biography
All Music. He pioneered the parallel chords style Feather, Leonard, &

Ira Gitler Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...

(2007). ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford University Press. that influenced

Red Garland William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jazz ...

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing (13 August 191914 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 so ...

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

, and

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

. Buckner's brother, Ted Buckner, was a jazz saxophonist.

Early life and career

Milton Brent Buckner was born in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. His parents encouraged him to learn to play piano, but they both died when he was nine years old. Milt and his younger brother Ted were sent to Detroit where they were adopted by members of the Earl Walton band: trombonist John Tobias, drummer George Robinson fostered Milt and reedplayer Fred Kewley ( Fred Cecil Kewley; 1889–1953) fostered Ted.Lars Bjorn with Jim Gallert
''Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920–60''
University of Michigan Press, 2001, p. 24-25. Buckner studied piano for three years from the age 10, then at 15 began writing arrangements for the band, he and his brother going on to become active in the Detroit jazz world in the 1930s. Buckner first played in Detroit with the

McKinney's Cotton Pickers McKinney's Cotton Pickers were an American jazz band, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1926, and led by Bill McKinney (drummer), Bill McKinney, who expanded his Synco Septet to ten players. Cuba Austin took over for McKinney on drum ...

and then with

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

. In 1941, he joined

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

's big band, and for the next seven years served as its pianist and staff arranger. Buckner was part of a Variety Revue of 1950 organized by Lionel Hampton at the Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 25, 1950. He led a short-lived big band of his own for two years, but then returned to Hampton's in 1950. In 1952, he formed his own trio and pioneered the use of the electric Hammond organ. He often played in Europe in the late 1960s. His last studio session took place in Paris on July 4, 1977. Milt Buckner is also known for the use of his song "The Beast" in the film '' Mulholland Drive'' and in the title menu of the video game '' Battlefield: Bad Company''. Buckner died of a heart attack in July 1977, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, at the age of 62.

Discography

* "Vibe Boogie" (with

) ( V-Disc 404, 1945) * "Chord-A-Re-Bop" (with Lionel Hampton) (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

18830, 1946) * ''Milton Buckner: The Swinging Block-Chords Pianist 1943–1950'' ( EPM Musique 16018, 2002) * ''The Chronological Milt Buckner 1946–1951'' (

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

'Blues & Rhythm Series' 5032, 2002) * "Milt's Boogie" b/w "Buck's Bop" (

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

10410, 1949) * "M.B. Blues" b/w "Oo-Be-Doop" (MGM 10504, 1949) * "Buck-A-Boo" b/w "Yesterdays" (MGM 10632, 1949) * ''Milt Buckner Piano'' (

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

MG-15023 0" LP 1953) – note: includes 6 of the 13 tracks Buckner's Beale Street Gang recorded for Savoy in 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1951. * ''Organ...Sweet 'N' Swing'' (

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

MG-6004, 1956) – note: a shared album with Bobby Banks, and Vin Strong; includes 4 of the 6 tracks Buckner's trio recorded for Scooter Records (a subsidiary of Roost) in 1952: "By The River St. Marie", "Rollin' Strollin'", Take It Away", and "Russian Lullaby". * ''Rockin' with Milt'' ( Capitol T-642, 1955; CD reissue: Jasmine JASCD-499, 2009) * ''Rockin' Hammond'' (Capitol T-722, 1956; CD reissue: Jasmine JASCD-499, 2009) * ''Send Me Softly'' (Capitol T-938, 1957; CD reissue: Solar U4569921, 2012) * ''Mighty High'' (

Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...

LPS-660, 1959; CD reissue: Solar U4569916, 2012) * ''Please, Mr. Organ Player'' (Argo LPS-670, 1960; CD reissue: Solar U4569921, 2012) * ''Midnight Mood'' (Argo LPS-702, 1961; CD reissue: Solar U4569916, 2012) * ''The New World of Milt Buckner'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

BCP-6072, 1963) * ''Play Chords'' (SABA 15110, 1966) * ''Them There Eyes'' (with Buddy Tate) ( Black & Blue 33.013, 1967) * ''Locked Hands'' ( MPS 15199, 1968) * ''More Chords'' (MPS 15237, 1969) * ''Rockin' Again'' (Black & Blue 33.043, 1972) * ''Black and Blue Stomp'' (Black & Blue, 33.061, 1973) * ''Block Chords Parade'' (Black & Blue 33.184, 1974 el. 1984 CD reissue: Black & Blue BB-953, 2002) * ''Green Onions'' (with Roy Gaines) (Black & Blue 33.087, 1975; Classic Jazz CJ-141, 1980; CD reissue: Black & Blue BB-929, 2000) * ''Milt Buckner & His Alumni (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)'' (Black & Blue BB-909, 1976 el. 1998 * ''Boogie Woogie USA'' (Black & Blue 33.120, 1977)

As sideman

With

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005) was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He was best-known as a blues music, blues performer, but his music was often eclectic and also touched on genres ...

* ''Sings Louis Jordan'' (Black & Blue 33.053, 1973) * ''Cold Strange'' (Black & Blue 33.096, 1973 el. 1976 With

Arnett Cobb Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

* ''Again with Milt Buckner'' (Black & Blue 33.052, 1973) * ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 3'' (with Floyd "Candy" Johnson too!) (Black & Blue 33.055, 1973) * ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 6'' (Black & Blue 33.093, 1976) * ''The Wild Man From Texas'' (Black & Blue 33.099, 1976) With

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened to "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

* ''Leapin' on Lenox'' (Black & Blue 33.072, 1974) With

Roy Gaines Roy James Gaines (August 12, 1937 – August 11, 2021) was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He wrote and recorded the song "A Hell of a Night", which was first issued on his 1982 album ''Gainelining''. ...

* ''Superman'' (Black & Blue, 33.088, 1975) With Tiny Grimes * ''Chasin with Milt'' (Black & Blue 33.017, 1968) With

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on " Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. He is also known as one of the w ...

* '' Go Power!'' (Cadet LPS-773, 1966) * '' The King!'' (

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

PR-7597, 1968) * '' The Soul Explosion'' (Prestige PR-7629, 1969) * ''Genius at Work!'' ( Black Lion BL-146, 1971) * ''Illinois Jacquet with Milt and Jo'' (Black & Blue 33.070, 1974) * ''Jacquet's Street'' (Black & Blue 33.112, 1976) With Floyd "Candy" Johnson * ''Candy's Mood'' (with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown too!) (Black & Blue 33.058, 1973) With Guy Lafitte * ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 7'' (Black & Blue 33.115, 1977) With

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

* ''Jumpin' the Blues'' (Black & Blue 33.039, 1970 el. 1972 * ''Kansas City Memories'' (Black & Blue 33.057, 1973) With Buddy Morrow * ''Night Train Goes to Hollywood'' ( Mercury MG-20702/SR-60702, 1962) With Andre Persiany * ''Pianistically Yours'' (Black & Blue 33.176, 1975–1976 el. 1982 With Hal Singer * ''Milt And Hal'' (with Tiny Grimes too!) (Black & Blue 33.016, 1968) With

Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All Ab ...

* ''When I'm Blue'' (Black & Blue 33.014, 1967) * ''Crazy Rhythm'' (Black & Blue 33.018, 1968) * ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 1'' (Black & Blue 33.026, 1971) * ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 4'' (Black & Blue 33.068, 1974) * ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 5'' (Black & Blue 33.075, 1974) With Marcel Zanini * ''Blues and Bounce!'' (Black & Blue 33.110, 1976)

References

External links

*
BBC Radio 2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, Milt Swing pianists American jazz keyboardists American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists American jazz organists American male organists Jazz fusion keyboardists Jazz fusion organists Jazz musicians from St. Louis 1915 births 1977 deaths Prestige Records artists MPS Records artists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American organists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American keyboardists Black & Blue Records artists Argo Records artists Jazz musicians from Detroit