Donald Myrick (April 6, 1940 – July 30, 1993) was an American

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

. A member of the Phenix Horns, he was best known for his work with

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

and

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

. He played

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, and

soprano sax The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly smaller ...

as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire's original horn section, the Phenix Horns, from 1975 through 1982. Previously, Myrick had been a member of the musical group

the Pharaohs The Pharaohs, an American soul/jazz/funk group, were formed in 1962 out of a student band, The Jazzmen, at Crane Junior College in Chicago, Illinois. This early incarnation comprised Louis Satterfield on trombone, Charles Handy on trumpet, and ...

. Myrick is also credited as a founding member of the

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is an American nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AA ...

. Some of his most famous saxophone solos include

' "All of My Life", " If Leaving Me Is Easy", and " One More Night", the latter featuring Myrick performing the sax solo in the official music video, filmed in a London pub. Another was the live recording of "Reasons", featured on the Earth Wind & Fire ''

Gratitude Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness. This kindness can be gifts, help, favors, or another form of generosity to another person. The word come ...

'' album, and "

After the Love Has Gone "After the Love Has Gone" is a song by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in 1979 as the second single from their ninth studio album ''I Am'' on ARC/Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (behind the Knack's "M ...

", from the album ''

I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" ( ...

''. He performed with many prominent musicians, including

Grover Washington, Jr. Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist and Grammy Award winner. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders and le ...

and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

. Myrick appeared on records by artists including

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was describ ...

The Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

Regina Belle Regina Belle (born July 17, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter who started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles "Baby Come to Me (Regina Belle song), Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle is most notabl ...

, the

Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy were an American traditional gospel music quartet. Career The Mighty Clouds of Joy was formed in 1959 in Los Angeles as a tradition-based style group. It wasn't until 1961 as the group became famous, they added bass, ...

, and

Heaven 17 Heaven 17 are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of founding Human League members Martyn Ware (keyboards, drum machine, vocals) and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) with voc ...

. Earth, Wind & Fire's single "Runnin'" earned him the 1977/78

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best R&B Instrumental.

Early life

Myrick attended

Crane Junior College Malcolm X College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, is a two-year college located on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded as Crane Junior College in 1911 and was the first of the City Colleges. Crane ceased operation during ...

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 ...

, where he was part of a band called the Jazzmen with

Louis Satterfield Louis Edward Satterfield (April 3, 1937 – September 27, 2004) was an American bassist and trombonist. Satterfield was a member of both The Pharaohs and the Phenix Horns. He also collaborated with prominent artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Mu ...

, who later joined him in the Phenix Horns, performing with

. Myrick and Satterfield played in

, with musicians from

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

, which included drummer

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey. ...

, who went on to found Earth, Wind & Fire.

Death

Myrick was killed in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

by a

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

police officer during a narcotics investigation. While attempting to serve a

search warrant A search warrant is a court order that a magistrate or judge issues to authorize Police, law enforcement officers to conduct a Search and seizure, search of a person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to Confiscation, confiscate an ...

, police officer Gary Barbaro mistook a

butane lighter A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typicall ...

in Myrick's hand for a weapon. He fired a single bullet that hit Myrick in the chest. Myrick died in the hospital shortly afterward, aged 53. Following a funeral service at a Baptist church, his body was buried at

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed establishment of "the larges ...

in Los Angeles County. Myrick was survived by his mother, Antoinette Myrick-Carr (now deceased), wife Barbara (now deceased), and three daughters: Shani, Lauren, Shirika Myrick, as well as a cousin, Elliot Myrick. In 1995, their

wrongful death Wrongful death is a type of legal claim or cause of action against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as authorized by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are ...

lawsuit against the city was settled for $400,000.Associated Press. "Lawsuit settled in Donald Myrick's death", August 4, 1995. The song "For a Friend" by

, released on the CD single "

We Wait and We Wonder In Modern English, ''we'' is a plural, first-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''we'' has six distinct shapes for five word forms: * ''we'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''us'' and ': the accusative (objective ...

" in 1993, was a tribute to Myrick, who actively participated in Collins's songs and shows for many years. As a tribute, Gary Bias performs the saxophone solos that originated with Myrick at Earth, Wind & Fire's live shows.

Discography

; With

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

: * ''

The Howlin' Wolf Album ''The Howlin' Wolf Album'' is a studio album by Howlin' Wolf, released in 1969. It features members of Rotary Connection as his backing band. The album mixed blues with psychedelic rock arrangements of several of Wolf's classic songs. Howlin' Wol ...

'' (1969) ; With Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble: * ''The Malcolm X Memorial (A Tribute in Music)'' (1970) ; With

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

: * '' Everything Is Everything'' (1970) ; With

Odell Brown Odell Elliott Brown Jr. (February 2, 1940 – May 3, 2011) was an American jazz organist. He was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing soul jazz and jazz funk with his backing band as Odell Brown & the Organ-Izers. Biography Brown was ...

: * ''Free Delivery'' (1970) ; With the Intentions : * ''Dig It / Blowing with the Wind'' – Single (1971) ; With

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

: * '' The Heatin' System'' (1972) ; With

Terry Callier Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American soul music, soul, Folk music, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter. Life and career Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was ...

: * ''What Colour Is Love'' (1972) * ''I Just Can't Help Myself'' (1973) ; With Charles Bevel: * ''Meet "Mississippi Charles" Bevel'' (1973) ; With Penny Goodwin: * ''Portrait of a Gemini'' (1974) ; With

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...

: * '' Sun Goddess'' (1974) ; With

: * ''

That's the Way of the World ''That's the Way of the World'' is the sixth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on March 3, 1975, by Columbia Records. This was also the soundtrack for a That's the Way of the World (film), 1975 motion picture of the same ...

'' (1975) * ''

'' (1975) * '' Spirit'' (1976) * ''

All 'n All ''All 'n All'' is the eighth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard (magazine), BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Bil ...

'' (1977) * ''

'' (1979) * ''

Faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

'' (1980) * ''

Raise! ''Raise!'' is the eleventh studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 14, 1981, by American Record Corporation, ARC/Columbia Records.The album spent 11 weeks atop the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip- ...

'' (1981) * ''

Powerlight ''Powerlight'' is the twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1983 by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. ''Powerlight'' ...

'' (1983) * '' The Eternal Dance'' (1992) – Compilation 3-CD boxset. * '' The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire'' (2002) − Compilation * '' Live in Rio'' (2002) * ''The Essential Plus'' (2004) – Compilation 2 CD + DVD * ''The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire'' (2008) – 3-CD Compilation limited edition ; With

the Emotions The Emotions are an American soul/ R&B vocal group from Chicago. The group started out in gospel music but transitioned into R&B and disco music. The Emotions were named by VH1 as one of the 18 most influential girl groups of all time. Hist ...

: * ''

Flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

'' (1976) * '' Rejoice!'' (1977) * ''

Sunbeam A sunbeam, in meteorological optics, is a lightbeam, beam of sunlight that appears to radiate from the position of the Sun. Shining through openings in clouds or between other objects such as mountains and buildings, these beams of light scatter ...

'' (1978) * ''

Come into Our World Come may refer to: Places *Come, village of a Greek polis *Comè, a city and commune in Benin *Come (Tenos), an ancient town on Tenos island, Greece Music *Come (American band), an American indie rock band formed in 1990 *Come (UK band), a Britis ...

'' (1979) * '' New Affair'' (1981) ; With

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

: * ''

'' (1979) ; With

: * ''

Face Value The face value, sometimes called nominal value, is the value of a coin, bond, stamp or paper money as printed on the coin, stamp or bill itself by the issuing authority. The face value of coins, stamps, or bill is usually its legal value. Ho ...

'' ("Missed Again", "If Leaving Me Is Easy" 1981) * '' Hello, I Must Be Going!'' ("I Cannot Believe It's True" 1982) * ''Live at Perkins Palace'' (1983) – VHS video * ''

No Jacket Required ''No Jacket Required'' is the third solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 18 February 1985 by Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic and WEA internationally. After finishing touring commi ...

'' ("One More Night", "Who Said I Would?", "Inside Out" 1985) * ''No Ticket Required"" (1985) – VHS video * '' ...But Seriously'' ("All of My Life" 1989) * '' Serious Hits... Live!'' (1990) * ''...But Seriously, The Videos'' (1992) – VHS video * '' ...Hits'' (1998) * '' The Platinum Collection'' (2004) – 3-CD box set * '' Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New'' (2004) * ''Hits Live 1990–1997'' (2004) – DVD * ''

The Singles The Singles may refer to: * ''The Singles'' (Basement Jaxx album) by Basement Jaxx * ''The Singles'' (Bikini Kill album) * ''The Singles'' (Blank & Jones album), 2006 * ''The Singles'' (The Bluetones album), 2002 * ''The Singles'' (Chisato Mor ...

'' (2016) ; With

Frida Frida, Frieda, or Freida may refer to: People and fictional characters *Frida (given name), any of several people or characters ** *Frieda (surname), any of several people or characters *Afroditi Frida (born 1964), Greek singer *Frida (singer) ...

: * ''

Something's Going On ''Something's Going On'' is the third solo album by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), one of the founding members of the Swedish pop group ABBA and her first album recorded entirely in English. Her previous two albums had been recorded i ...

'' (1982) – Album produced by Phil Collins, with Daryl Stuermer, Mo Foster, The Phenix Horns, etc. ; With

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his fo ...

: * ''

The Wonders of His Love ''The Wonders of His Love'' is the second studio album by Philip Bailey, released in 1984 on Myrrh Records. It was his first gospel album, peaking at No. 13 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Top Christian Albums chart and No. 17 on the ' ...

'' (1984) – Sax on ''I Will No Wise Cast You Out'' * ''

Chinese Wall A Chinese wall or ethical wall is an information barrier protocol within an organization designed to prevent exchange of information or communication that could lead to conflicts of interest. For example, a Chinese wall may be established to sep ...

'' (1984) – with Phil Collins, Nathan East, The Phenix Horns, etc. * ''Chinese Wall / Inside Out'' (1988) – Double compilation album ; With

: * ''

How Men Are ''How Men Are'' is the third studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 24 September 1984 by Virgin Records. The album peaked at No. 12 in the UK and was certified Silver (60,000 copies sold) by the BPI in October 1984. T ...

'' (1984) * "

This Is Mine "This Is Mine" is a song by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 15 October 1984 by Virgin Records as the second single from their third studio album, '' How Men Are'' (1984). It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Marty ...

" (1984) – Single * ''

Pleasure One ''Pleasure One'' is the fourth studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 17 November 1986 by Virgin Records. It was the band's last studio album chart entry within the UK Top 100. Background Speaking of the albu ...

'' (1986) ; With Shuybah: * ''Shuybah'' (1984) ; With

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, at the age of 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, tenth edition of the Eurov ...

: * ''Le Tour de France'' (1988) ; Various artists: * ''Knebworth'' (1990) – Plays with Phil Collins Band on ''Sussudio'' * ''Live at Knebworth – Parts One, Two & Three'' (1990) – Plays with Phil Collins & The Serious Band on "In the Air Tonight" & "Sussudio" as well as with Genesis & The Serious Band on "Turn it on again Medley" * ''El DeBarge – In the Storm'' (1991) Plays on the tracks, "Cry (Musical Interlude)", "Love Me Tonight", and "You Know What I Like"

References

External links

* *
Phil Collins discography
at Discogs {{DEFAULTSORT:Myrick, Don 1940 births 1993 deaths Musicians from Chicago Malcolm X College alumni African-American saxophonists American male saxophonists African Americans shot dead by law enforcement officers in California Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians The Pharaohs members 20th-century African-American musicians The Phenix Horns members

Early life

Death

Discography

See also

References

External links