Leonidas Raymond Young (March 7, 1914 – July 31, 2008) 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 ...

drummer and singer. His musical family included his father Willis Young and his older brother,

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 ...

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

. In 1944 he played with

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo and the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series. Gra ...

's first " Jazz at the Philharmonic" concert.

Early life and education

Young was born in 1914 in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to Willis Young and Lizetta Teresa Johnson. His father was a musician, as were other relatives. His older brother

became a famed saxophonist. Lee began playing from an early age and the family had a band for several years.

Career

In 1944 Lee Young was the drummer at Norman Granz's first "Jazz at the Philharmonic" concert, which also featured guitarist

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...

, trombonist J.J. Johnson, and saxophonist

Jean-Baptiste Jean-Baptiste () is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was K ...

"Illinois" Jacquet. Young played with such jazz and

swing music Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement ...

notables as Mutt Carey,

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

, Les Hite,

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, and

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 ...

. In the 1950s Young played with

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

's trio. From the 1960s on, he worked as an artist & repertory man for such

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

s as

Vee-Jay Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana, in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

and

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. Lee Young never recorded as a session leader.

Personal life

Young was married to Louise Franklin and they had a son together.

Discography

, ''Penthouse Serenade'' (Capitol, 1955) * Nat King Cole, ''After Midnight'' (Capitol, 1956) * Nat King Cole, ''The Piano Style of Nat King Cole'' (Capitol, 1956) * Nat King Cole, ''At the Sands'' (Capitol, 1966) *

, ''Mostly Sextets'' (Capitol, 1950) *

, ''Lionel Hampton with the Just Jazz All Stars'' (GNP, 1955) * Oscar Moore, ''Jazz 1940 Era'' (Tampa, 1956) * Andre Previn, ''Previn at Sunset'' (Black Lion, 1972) *

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

, '' Mellow Mama'' (Delmark, 1992)

Notes

External links

Interview with Lee Young
Center for Oral History Research, UCLA Library Special Collections, University of California, Los Angeles

1914 births 2008 deaths Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz drummers American jazz singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Singers from Louisiana 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians King Cole Trio members Drummers from New Orleans {{US-jazz-singer-stub