Lynn Hope, also known as El Hajj Abdullah Rasheed Ahmad, (September 26, 1926 – February 24, 1993) 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 majo ...
tenor saxophonist
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while t ...
.
He was born in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, United States. Hope was noted for his instrumental remakes of established pre-rock pop anthems. Hope joined
King Kolax
King Kolax (born William Little, November 6, 1912 – December 18, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
Biography
William Little was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1912; he misleadingly claimed he was born in 1918 in later ...
's band when he graduated from high school in Birmingham during the 1940s. After converting to Islam, he became noted for wearing a
turban
A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...
or fez.
Hope signed with Miracle Records in 1950, but the contract proved invalid. He moved to
Premium Records
Premium Records was an American record label established in Chicago in 1950 by Lee Egalnick, who had previously run Miracle Records. Lew Simpkins, who had also worked at Miracle, joined Premium soon afterwards.Tenderly
"Tenderly" is a popular song published in 1946 with music by Walter Gross and lyrics by Jack Lawrence. Written in the key of E as a waltz in time, it has since been performed in 4/4 and has become a popular jazz standard. Notable versions have b ...
," a song that was later picked up by
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 and r ...
. Hope recorded often for
Aladdin Records
Aladdin Records was a record company and label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner. It was originally called Philo Records before changing its name in 1946.
Aladdin was known for jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock mus ...
between 1951 and 1957, doing such reworked standards as "
September Song
"September Song" is an American standard popular song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical production ''Knickerbocker Holiday.'' The song has been recorded by n ...
" and " Summertime." These numbers were often performed with little or no
melodic
A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combina ...
embellishment or improvisation; however the
B-sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
were often up tempo blues or jump tunes. "Tenderly" earned Hope his only hit in 1950, reaching number eight on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describ ...
chart.
Hope recorded his last sessions for King in 1960, but then seemingly left the
music industry
The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, trai ...
.
Hope died in February 1993, at the age of 66, in
Collingswood, New Jersey
Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, located east of Center City Philadelphia. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 13,926,