Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trademark was the rhythmic "walking" bass line, a steady series of ascending or descending notes, and it brought him the nickname "The Walker". Besides his jazz work, he also appeared on a number of soundtracks and pop albums, notably

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

's 1972 album, '' Saint Dominic's Preview''.

Music career

He recorded extensively as both a leader and sideman. He came to public attention in the 1950s as a result of recording with Lee Konitz, André Previn, Stan Getz, Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Joe Castro and

Serge Chaloff Serge Chaloff (November 24, 1923 – July 16, 1957) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. The first and greatest bebop baritonist, Chaloff has been described as 'the most expressive and openly emotive baritone saxophonist jazz has ever ...

. He played bass on Previn and Manne's ''

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'' album, one of the most successful

records ever produced. He also performed on another of jazz's biggest hit albums, Eddie Harris and Les McCann's '' Swiss Movement'', released in 1969. Vinnegar also performed at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California, and Diggers in East Los Angeles in the late 1950s, with drummer and pianist Don Joham along with other musicians. He moved to Portland,

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in 1986. In 1995, the

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honored him by proclaiming May 1 Leroy Vinnegar Day. Vinnegar died of a heart attack, at the age of 71, on August 3, 1999, in a hospital in Portland.

Discography

As leader

* '' Leroy Walks!'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

, 1958) * '' Leroy Walks Again!!'' (Contemporary, 1963) * ''Jazz's Great "Walker" '' ( Vee Jay, 1964) * ''Glass of Water'' (Legend, 1973) * ''The Kid'' (PBR, 1974; Q-Tape, 2005) * ''Walkin' the Basses'' (Contemporary, 1992)

As sideman

With Pepper Adams *'' Pepper Adams Quintet'' (Mode, 1956) With Stan Getz and Lionel Hampton * '' Hamp and Getz'' ( Norgran, 1955) With Chet Baker * '' Quartet: Russ Freeman/Chet Baker'' ( Pacific Jazz, 1956) With Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan * ''Who Drank My Beer?'' ( Kicking Mule, 1983) * ''Bloodshot Eyes'' (

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, 1986) With

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orc ...

* '' West Coast Wailers'' ( Atlantic, 1955) with Lou Levy * ''

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'' (Crown, 1960) With

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* '' Jazz Giant'' (

, 1958) * '' Swingin' the '20s'' (Contemporary, 1958) *'' Sax ala Carter!'' (United Artists, 1960) *'' BBB & Co.'' (Swingville, 1962) with

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and Barney Bigard With Joe Castro * ''Live at Falcon's Lair!'' (

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, 1956) * '' Groove Funk Soul'' (Atlantic, 1959) * ''At Falcon's Lair with Joe Castro'' (1959) With

* '' Blue Serge'' (

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, 1956) With Dolo Coker * '' Dolo!'' ( Xanadu, 1976) * '' California Hard'' (Xanadu, 1977) * '' Third Down'' (Xanadu, 1977) *'' Xanadu in Africa'' (Xanadu, 1980) with

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and Frank Butler *''

Night Flight to Dakar ''Night Flight to Dakar'' is an album by saxophonists Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell (saxophonist), Billy Mitchell, pianist Dolo Coker, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Frank Butler (musician), Frank Butler recorded in Dakar in 1980 for Xanadu Recor ...

'' (Xanadu, 1980) with Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell and Frank Butler With

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* '' Nice Day with Buddy Collette'' (Contemporary, 1957) With

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* '' Saturday Morning'' (Xanadu, 1975) With The Doors * '' Waiting for the Sun'' ( Elektra, 1968) With Barbara Dane & Earl Hines * '' Livin' with the Blues'' ( Dot, 1959) With Kenny Dorham * '' Inta Somethin''' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) With Kenny Drew * '' Talkin' & Walkin''' (Jazz: West, 1955) * '' Home Is Where the Soul Is'' (Xanadu, 1978) * '' For Sure!'' (Xanadu, 1978) With

Harry Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backi ...

*'' "Sweets" for the Sweet'' (Sue, 1964) With Teddy Edwards *'' Teddy Edwards at Falcon's Lair'' (MetroJazz, 1958) * '' It's About Time'' (Pacific Jazz, 1959) * '' Sunset Eyes'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960) * '' Teddy's Ready!'' (Contemporary, 1960) * '' Good Gravy!'' (Contemporary, 1961) * '' Heart & Soul'' (Contemporary, 1962) *'' Young at Heart'' (Storyville, 1979) with Howard McGhee *'' Wise in Time'' (Storyville, 1979) with Howard McGhee *'' Mississippi Lad'' (Verve/Gitanes, 1991) With

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

*'' Vic Feldman on Vibes'' (Mode, 1957) With Red Garland * '' Keystones!'' (Xanadu, 1977) With Stan Getz * '' West Coast Jazz'' (Norgran, 1955) * '' Hamp and Getz (Verve, 1955) * '' Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds'' (Verve, 1953–55, 957 * '' The Steamer'' (Verve, 1956) With

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

*'' Daddy Plays the Horn'' (Bethlehem, 1955) *'' Dexter Blows Hot and Cool'' (Dooto, 1955) With Eddie Harris and Les McCann * '' Swiss Movement'' (Atlantic, 1969) With Hampton Hawes * '' The Sermon'' (Contemporary, 1958 987 * '' Something Special'' (Contemporary, 1976 994 With Elmo Hope * '' The Elmo Hope Quintet featuring Harold Land'' (Pacific Jazz, 1957) With The Jazz Crusaders * '' Live at the Lighthouse '66'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * ''

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'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) With Fred Katz * ''

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'' ( Decca, 1959) With Barney Kessel * '' Let's Cook!'' (Contemporary, 1957 962 With

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* '' First Class Kloss!'' (Prestige, 1967) With Harold Land * '' Harold in the Land of Jazz'' (Contemporary, 1958) With Gordon Lee * ''On the Shoulders of Giants'' (Unity Label Group, 1994) With Shelly Manne * '' Concerto for Clarinet & Combo'' (Contemporary, 1955 957 * '' Swinging Sounds'' (Contemporary, 1956) * '' More Swinging Sounds'' (Contemporary, 1956) * '' Shelly Manne & His Friends'' (Contemporary, 1956) * ''

'' (Contemporary, 1956) With Les McCann * '' Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Truth'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960) * '' Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Shout'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960) * '' From the Top of the Barrel'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960 967 * '' On Time'' (Pacific Jazz, 1962) * '' Les McCann Plays the Hits'' ( Limelight, 1966) * ''

Bucket o' Grease ''Bucket o' Grease'' is an album by pianist Les McCann's group Les McCann Ltd., recorded in late 1966 and released on the Limelight label.Freed., RLes McCann Discographyaccessed March 8, 2016 Reception Allmusic gives the album 3 stars. Track l ...

'' (Limelight, 1967) * '' Much Les'' (Atlantic, 1968) * ''

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'' (United Artists, 1973) With

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger beb ...

* '' Maggie's Back in Town!!'' (Contemporary, 1961) *'' Young at Heart'' (Storyville, 1979) with Teddy Edwards *'' Wise in Time'' (Storyville, 1979) with Teddy Edwards With Frank Morgan *'' Frank Morgan'' (Gene Norman Presents, 1955) With

* '' Saint Dominic's Preview'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, 1972) With Gerry Mulligan and

* '' Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster'' ( Verve, 1959) With Phineas Newborn, Jr. * '' The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr.'' (Contemporary, 1963) * '' The Newborn Touch'' (Contemporary, 1964) With Art Pepper * '' The Return of Art Pepper'' (Jazz: West, 1956) With Carl Perkins *''

Introducing Carl Perkins ''Introducing Carl Perkins'' is the sole album led by American jazz pianist Carl Perkins recorded in 1955 and released on the Dootone label the following year.

'' (Dootone, 1956) With

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* '' Modern Reflections'' With Sonny Rollins * ''

Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders ''Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders'' is a 1958 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded for the Contemporary label, featuring performances by Rollins with Hampton Hawes, Barney Kessel, Leroy Vinnegar, and Shelly Manne with Vi ...

'' (Contemporary, 1958) With Shorty Rogers * '' Martians Come Back!'' (Atlantic, 1955) * '' Way Up There'' (Atlantic, 1955 957 With Jimmy Smith * '' Bluesmith'' ( Verve, 1972) With Sonny Stitt * '' Sonny Stitt Blows the Blues'' (Verve, 1959) * '' Saxophone Supremacy'' (Verve, 1959) * ''

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, 1967) With Tut Taylor * ''12 String Dobro'' (

World Pacific Records Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is o ...

, 1964) With Jessica Williams * ''Encounters'' (Jazz Focus, 1994) * ''Encounters II'' (Jazz Focus, 1997) With Don Wilkerson * ''

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'' ( Riverside, 1960) With

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* '' Portraits'' (Pacific Jazz, 1964) With Jack Wilson * '' The Two Sides of Jack Wilson'' (Atlantic, 1964)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinnegar, Leroy 1928 births 1999 deaths American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists African-American jazz musicians West Coast jazz double-bassists Jazz musicians from California Musicians from Los Angeles Musicians from Indianapolis Musicians from Portland, Oregon Contemporary Records artists Fantasy Records artists Vee-Jay Records artists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century African-American musicians