John William Pate (born December 5, 1923) is an American former

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 ...

bassist who became a producer, arranger, and leading figure in Chicago soul, pop, and rhythm and blues. He learned piano and tuba as a child and later picked up the bass guitar. He learned

arranging In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

while serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Career

The jazz era

Following stints with Coleridge Davis and

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song "If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, alo ...

in the 1940s,

Johnny Pate John William Pate (born December 5, 1923) is an American former jazz bassist who became a producer, arranger, and leading figure in Chicago soul, pop, and rhythm and blues. He learned piano and tuba as a child and later picked up the bass guitar ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

in 1951, Pate was recording on

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 roll ...

with

Eddie South Edward Otha South (November 27, 1904 – April 25, 1962) was an American jazz violinist. Biography South studied classical music in Budapest, Paris, and Chicago. He turned to jazz because, as a Black musician, there was no room for him in class ...

and his Orchestra, credited on bass and arrangements. This was also the first of a series of Chess recordings on which Pate collaborated with saxophonist Eddie Johnson. In the 1950s, he was also a resident arranger for Red Saunders's house band at the

Club DeLisa The Club DeLisa, also written Delisa or De Lisa, was an African-American nightclub and music venue in Chicago, Illinois. Located at 5521 South State Street (State Street and Garfield Avenue, on the South Side), it was possibly the most prestigious ...

. Johnny Pate's trio recorded for a number of Chicago labels, including Gig and Talisman. For the Cincinnati-based

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The comp ...

, the Johnny Pate Quintet had a hit with "Swinging Shepherd Blues", which reached No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in spring 1958. One of the last albums on which Pate played bass was James Moody's 1958 album ''

Last Train from Overbrook ''Last Train from Overbrook'' is an album by saxophonist James Moody recorded in 1958 and released on the Argo label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MArgo Album Discography, Part 1: Jazz Series (1956-1965)accessed February 4, 2013 Reception The Allmusi ...

'', on the

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

subsidiary,

Argo Records Argo Records was a record label in Chicago that was established in 1955 as a division of Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Ar ...

. Pate produced and did the arrangements for

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

's album ''

Live at the Regal ''Live at the Regal'' is a 1965 live album by American blues guitarist and singer B.B. King. It was recorded on November 21, 1964, at the Regal Theater in Chicago. The album is widely heralded as one of the greatest blues albums ever recorded a ...

'' in November 1964. Pate was also the arranger and conductor for

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

's album ''

Movin' Wes ''Movin' Wes'' is an album by the American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1964. It reached number 18 on the ''Billboard'' jazz albums chart in 1967, his second album to reach the charts after '' Bumpin. History ''Movin' Wes'' was ...

'', released in 1965 and re-released in 1981. He was the arranger and conductor for

Lu Elliott Lu Elliot (August 3, 1924 – March 5, 1987) was a jazz and blues singer and recording artist. She also recorded some soul songs. Some of the artists she worked with were BB King, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Sam Williams Express. Back ...

's ''

Sings Way Out From Down Under Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

'' 1967 ABC album.

The Impressions era

In the early 1960s, Pate was hired by

OKeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

producer/A&R director

Carl Davis Carl Davis, (born October 28, 1936) is an American-born conductor and composer who has lived in the United Kingdom since 1961. He has written music for more than 100 television programmes, but is best known for creating music to accompany si ...

to write arrangements for the label. Davis had had previous hits with artists such as Walter Jackson,

Major Lance Major Lance (April 4, 1939, 1941Soul music A-Z 1995 p. 185 or 1942The golden age of American rock 'n roll: Volume 3; 2002 p. 556 – September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including "The Monk ...

, Ted Taylor and The Opals. Pate,

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

and

The Impressions The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul. The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...

first teamed in January 1963 recording the ballad "Sad Sad Girl and Boy," which mid-charted in '' Cashbox'' magazine's charts. The following single, "It's All Right," stayed at number one R&B for two weeks and hit number four pop in fall 1963; it was followed by "Talking about My Baby," "I'm So Proud," and "Keep on Pushing". The '' Keep on Pushing'' LP peaked at number eight pop in fall 1964. Pate produced and recorded most of their hits at

Universal Recording Corporation Universal Recording Corporation was a recording studio in Chicago founded by Bill Putnam, Sr. for the purpose of investigating new recording techniques and the development of specialized recording equipment. Universal Recording was seminal i ...

in Chicago. Their success led the group's label,

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

, to open a Chicago office on 14th and Michigan and appoint Pate as A&R director in 1964. One of the acts he signed, the Marvelows, had a number seven R&B hit with "I Do". "I Do" was followed by another hit with "In the Morning." Other acts signed to ABC-Paramount through the Chicago branch were the Trends, the Kittens, and former

Vee-Jay Records 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 h ...

star

Betty Everett Betty Jean Everett (November 23, 1939 – August 19, 2001) was an American soul singer and pianist, best known for her biggest hit single, the million-selling " Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)", and her duet " Let It Be Me" with Jerry Butler ...

. He also did the arrangements for

's ''Monkey Time''. In 1968, Pate began doing arrangements for Curtis Mayfield's

Curtom Curtom Records was a record label started in 1968 by Curtis Mayfield and Impressions manager Eddie Thomas. The label's name was a combination of Mayfield's first name and Thomas' last name. Mayfield had previously made attempts at a record lab ...

label. Leaving in 1972, he worked on numerous recordings including the horn arrangements for the '' Bobby Bland and B.B. King Together Again...Live'' (1976), produced and arranged several albums for

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Roberta Flack. Bryson ...

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, including Gold Award album ''CrossWinds'' in 1978,Johnny Pate and the 1978 album ''Words and Music'' by

Lonette McKee Lonette Rita McKee (born July 22, 1954) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film ''Sparkle (1976 film), Sparkle''. McKee also had notable roles in such movies as ''The Co ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. Pate also scored soundtracks for films including ''

Shaft in Africa ''Shaft in Africa'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by John Guillermin, and the third film of the '' Shaft'' series, starring Richard Roundtree as John Shaft. Stirling Silliphant wrote the screenplay. The film's budget was $1.5 m ...

'' (1973), '' Bucktown'' (1975), ''

Satan's Triangle ''Satan's Triangle'' is a 1975 American made-for-television mystery horror film directed by Sutton Roley and produced by ABC. The plot involves a United States Coast Guard helicopter sent to answer a distress call from inside the Bermuda Triang ...

'' (1975), ''

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde ''Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde'' is a 1976 blaxploitation horror film loosely inspired by the 1886 novella '' Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film stars Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash, and was directed by Willi ...

'' (1976), '' Sudden Death'' (1977) and ''

Every Girl Should Have One ''Every Girl Should Have One'' is a 1978 whodunit independent film. In Brazil, the film was is known as ''O Que Toda Mulher Tem''. Its tagline was "a 14 Karat Caper". The film had a printed film format of 35 mm. Plot A diamond theft takes ...

'' (1978). Pate also did the arrangements for

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

' 1973 album ''

Life in a Tin Can ''Life in a Tin Can'' is the Bee Gees' eleventh studio album (ninth worldwide), released in January 1973. Background The Bee Gees travelled to Los Angeles to record ''Life in a Tin Can''. However, it was unable to prevent a commercial decline ...

''. In 2006, TNC Records released an 80th birthday

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

. His song "Shaft in Africa", was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

by producer

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his m ...

, for the

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

single "

Show Me What You Got "Show Me What You Got" is the lead single by rap artist Jay-Z from his album '' Kingdom Come''. Song information It is the first single from his "comeback" album '' Kingdom Come''. It was produced by Just Blaze. The song samples " Show 'Em ...

". It was later sampled by producer

K-Def K-Def (full name Kevin Hansford) (born June 17, 1970) is an American, New Jersey based, hip hop producer/ DJ who has been actively involved in the music industry since the early 1990s. He has recently produced music for artists such as Ghostf ...

for Diddy's "We Gon' Make It", featuring Jack Knight.

Affiliations and organizations

In the late 1960s, Pate served as a national trustee on the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and he was very instrumental in bringing

The Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

to television.

Discography

As leader

* ''Johnny Pate Trio'' (1956) * ''Subtle Sounds'' (1956) * ''Johnnie Pate at the Blue Note'' (1957) * ''Jazz Goes Ivy League'' (1958) * ''Swingin' Flute'' (1958) * ''A Date With Johnnie Pate'' (1959) * ''Set A Pattern'' (1968) * ''Outrageous'' (1970) * ''Brother On The Run (The Original Soundtrack)'' (1973) * ''Shaft in Africa'' (1973) * ''Hit-Run'' (1973) * ''Bucktown'' (1975)

With
Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" ...

*''

Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet ''Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet'' is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1957.James Moody

* ''

'' (Argo, 1958)

With
Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

*'' Super Fly'' (Curtom, 1972)

References

External links

Johnny Pate's official web site
* ttp://www.jazzdocumentation.ch/pate.html Illustrated discography of Johnny Pate's early works {{DEFAULTSORT:Pate, Johnny American jazz composers 1923 births Living people African-American jazz musicians American rhythm and blues musicians American music arrangers Record producers from Illinois Musicians from Chicago Jazz musicians from Illinois American male jazz composers United States Army Band musicians 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people