Joe Leandrew McQueen (May 30, 1919 – December 7, 2019), also known as Joe Lee McQueen, 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 ...

saxophonist.

Biography

McQueen was born in

Ponder, Texas Ponder is a town in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,442 in 2020. History The community has the name of the local Ponder family. Local legend holds that Bonnie and Clyde either robbed the Ponder State Bank or attempted ...

, and raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma. His father left when he was a young boy and his mother died when he was 14 years old, after which he lived with his grandparents. in part because of his cousin,

Herschel Evans Herschel "Tex" Evans (9 March 1909 – 9 February 1939) was an American tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. He also worked with Lionel Hampton and Buck Clayton. He is also known for starting his cousin Joe McQueen's i ...

, a saxophonist with

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

during the 1930s. He developed a relationship with Thelma, whom he met on a dance floor in Ardmore, and they married on June 10, 1944. McQueen toured with bands throughout the United States. While passing through Ogden, Utah, with his wife Thelma in 1945, the leader of the band McQueen was in at the time took the group's money, later losing it while gambling on the way to Las Vegas. McQueen and wife Thelma decided to remain in Ogden. He performed with jazz musicians when they stopped in Utah, such as

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, Chet Baker, Paul Gonsalves,

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 ...

, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie,

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. In 1962 he played in

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls ( Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 6 ...

, Idaho, with

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

. As he approached the age of 100, he was still performing.

Awards and honors

McQueen was the subject of the documentary film '' King of O-Town''. In 2002, the governor of Utah established April 18 as Joe McQueen Day. In 2019, the Utah legislature honored his 100th birthday.

Health and death

McQueen was diagnosed with

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

in 1969 after years of smoking. He underwent surgery and quit playing for several years. McQueen died on the morning of December 7, 2019, at the age of 100. He was survived by his wife of seventy-five years, Thelma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McQueen, Joe 1919 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American saxophonists African-American jazz musicians African-American centenarians American centenarians American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from Oklahoma American male jazz musicians Musicians from Ogden, Utah People from Ardmore, Oklahoma People from Denton County, Texas Jazz musicians from Texas Weber State University faculty Men centenarians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians