Herman Fowlkes Jr. (September 21, 1919 – April 3, 1993) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 major ...

musician and educator from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Biography

Fowlkes was the first of two children born to Herman Bradley Fowlkes Sr. and Marie Payne. He was of West African, Irish, Welsh, and Eastern European descent. As a youngster growing up in Chicago Heights, Illinois, he received classical musical training on the violin. Fowlkes later exchanged his violin for the trumpet and became immersed in the burgeoning music scene of post-prohibition era Chicago. At the age of 23, he joined the U.S. Army and traveled south with the 201st AGF Band. While stationed in Mississippi at

Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to se ...

, the 201st AGP Band performed for many college and social club dances. Herman Fowlkes Jr. played an integral role in an under-documented Jackson, Mississippi, jazz/R&B scene that produced national figures

Teddy Edwards Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and then ...

Freddie Waits Frederick "Freddie" Douglas Waits (April 27, 1943 – November 18, 1989) was a hard bop and post-bop drummer. Waits never officially recorded as leader, but was a prominent member and composer in Max Roach's M'Boom percussion ensemble. He worked ...

Dick Griffin James Richard Griffin (born January 28, 1940, in Jackson, Mississippi) is an American jazz trombonist known for his work on Strata-East Records, and with Rahsaan Roland Kirk. As a child he studied piano, soon switching to trombone. After earning ...

, and Mel Brown, and local brothers Kermit Jr., Bernard, and Sherrill Holly. Fowlkes came to Jackson in 1948 and studied at

Jackson State College Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

with music professor William W. "Prof" Davis. Fowlkes was one of the first Mississippi musicians to play electric bass, beginning in 1952. He performed locally in the bands of Carlia "Duke" Oatis, Clarence "Duke" Huddleston, Joe Dyson, Bernard "Bunny" Williams, and O'Neal Hudson, and worked in jazz and blues combos with musicians including Andy Hardwick, Willie Silas, Charles Fairley, and Al Clark. He toured briefly as the bassist in blues balladeer

Ivory Joe Hunter Ivory Joe Hunter (October 10, 1914 – November 8, 1974) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid-1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recording ...

's band and occasionally accompanied national stars, including

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

and

Gatemouth Brown Gatemouth is an affectionate name for one who talks too much. Gatemouth can refer to: * Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown U.S. R&B singer * Arnold Moore, Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore U.S. singer * Louis Armstrong was nicknamed "Gatemouth" early in his career ...

, on local shows. Fowlkes played bass on recording sessions for

Trumpet Records Trumpet Records was an American record company founded by Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951. Although it existed for only four years, it was influential. History The goal of Trumpet Records was to record musicians from the Mississip ...

with bluesmen

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...

and

Jerry McCain Jerry McCain, often billed as Jerry "Boogie" McCain (June 18, 1930 – March 28, 2012), was an American electric blues musician, best known as a harmonica player. Biography Born near Gadsden, Alabama, United States, he was one of five childr ...

in 1953 and also recalled recording with New Orleans singer

Lloyd Price Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933May 3, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, record executive and bandleader, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a hit for Spe ...

and others. He was the father of three children, among whom jazz vocalist

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

is the youngest.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowlkes, Herman Jr. 1919 births 1993 deaths Jackson State University alumni Musicians from Chicago American jazz musicians 20th-century American musicians Jazz musicians from Illinois