Landon "Sonny" Cox (1938 – May 5, 2020) was an American basketball coach and jazz alto saxophonist.

Early life

Cox's mother, Helen Harris, was a singer and performed with Erskine Hawkins. He first played with The Rocks a Cincinnati-based group that backed

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

, Jerry Butler,

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and other soul artists. In 1955, Cox met organist Ken Prince and they began to work together around Chicago. In 1964, they formed the Three Souls with drummer Robert Shy. The group made three albums for the Argo-Cadet label. In 1974, Cox became the baseball coach for Paul Robeson High School (Chicago, Illinois). In 1981, he became the basketball coach at King College Prep High School, where he coached three state basketball championship teams. In 2006, Cox was voted as one of the

100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) celebrated 100 years of the IHSA State Tournament in the 2006-07 season. A list of "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" was assembled on December 14, 2005. Throughout the state, 281 ind ...

, a group of former players and coaches in honor of the 100th. anniversary of the IHSA boys basketball tournament. Among the basketball players whom he coached at King were

Marcus Liberty Marcus Liberty (born October 27, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player. He played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Liberty played college basketball for the University of Illinois. High school After ...

, Levertis Robinson, Jamie Brandon. Imari Sawyer, Rashard Griffith, Thomas Hamilton, Michael Hermon, Emmitt Lynch, Fred Sculfield, Johnnie Selvie, Marcus Cathcings and many other local Chicago sporting luminaries.

Influences

According to jazz critic Joe Segal, Cox was influenced by Earl Bostic and Charlie Parker: "Sonny's general sound is an amalgamation of the jazz feeling (derived from a Charlie Parker spark) and a warm fuzzy throaty sound and approach influenced by the daddy of the rock altoists Earl Bostic" (liner notes of Argo 4036). He also sounds sometimes like

Hank Crawford Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from Rhythm and blues, R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was ...

Discography

* The Three Souls Dangerous Dan express ( Argo Records 4036)(1964) * The Three Souls Soul Sounds (Argo 4044) (1965) * Sonny Cox The Wailer ( Cadet Records 765) (1966) (with Richard Evans orchestra).

References

External links

TOM LORD'S JAZZ DISCOGRAPHY * The Chess Labels, Greenwood Press (Michel Ruppli, 1983) * * - The Three Souls {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Sonny Soul-jazz saxophonists African-American saxophonists American jazz alto saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz alto saxophonists 1938 births 2020 deaths Musicians from Cincinnati Musicians from Chicago African-American basketball coaches Cadet Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz musicians from Ohio 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Basketball coaches from Illinois High school basketball coaches in Illinois 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century American saxophonists