Lonnie Thomas (born August 3, 1941 in
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
), known as Lonnie Youngblood, is an American saxophonist and
bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...
best remembered for playing with
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
.
Biography
Youngblood's main influence is
King Curtis
Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musicia ...
, although his earliest influence was his mother's favorite artist
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...
.
In 1966 Youngblood played with Hendrix on some sessions with various singers for producer Johnny Brantley. Three of these sessions yielded the Youngblood singles "Goodbye, Bessie Mae"/ "Soul Food (That's What I Like)" and "Go Go Shoes" (Parts 1 & 2), and five singles by other artists. After Hendrix' death Brantley put together an LP from these sessions, including the two Youngblood singles, the other artists singles plus a couple of out-takes from these sessions, adding some new overdubs to "improve" the sound. All of the original vocals by the other artists were wiped, although they can be heard faintly in places, and there was no mention of them. None of the original artists were credited - apart from Youngblood - and the cover misleadingly featured a 1969 photo of Hendrix and Youngblood jamming on stage. The sleeve notes falsely claim that these were Hendrix earliest recordings made in 1963. This date has clearly been demonstrated to be false by earlyhendrix.com. He also worked from time to time in Curtis Knight & Hendrix' group
Curtis Knight and the Squires
Curtis Knight and the Squires were a New York band that was fronted by singer and guitarist Curtis Knight in the mid-1960s. Both Jimi Hendrix and sax player Lonnie Youngblood were members for a while.
Background
The band is referred to as a work ...
. In 2010, Youngblood initiated a lawsuit against the Hendrix estate, MCA Records and film director
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...
, for their unauthorised use of what he claimed was his composition, "Georgia Blues", on the Jimi Hendrix album, ''Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues.''
His first professional job was backing up
Pearl Reaves
Pearl Reaves (June 7, 1929 – March 6, 2000), also known by her married name, Pearl Farano, was an American R&B singer and guitar player, best known for her 1955 single, "I'm Not Ashamed (Ugly Woman)". She was unusual for her time in that she ...
in 1959.
He also got his stage name from Reaves. The first time she saw him, she exclaimed, "Oh, he's just a baby!" and from then on he was no longer Lonnie Thomas but Lonnie Youngblood.
Youngblood's first solo recording, "Heartbreak" became a hit and help him work as bandleader for
Faye Adams
Faye Adams (born Fanny Tuell, May 22, 1923) is an American singer who recorded and performed rhythm and blues and gospel from the late 1940s until the early 1960s. She had several chart hits in the early 1950s, before retiring from the music b ...
,
Buster Brown
Buster Brown is a comic-strip character created in 1902 by Richard F. Outcault. Adopted as the mascot of the Brown Shoe Company in 1904, Buster Brown, along with Mary Jane, and with his dog Tige, became well known to the United States of America ...
, and
Baby Washington
Justine Washington (born October 13, 1940), usually credited as Baby Washington, but credited on some early records as Jeanette (Baby) Washington, is an American soul music vocalist, who had 16 '' Billboard'' R&B chart entries in 15 years, mo ...
. Youngblood was a regular on college campuses in the 1960s and appeared numerous times at the
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Delt, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in Cli ...
fraternity at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
on which the Delta House in the film
Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
was largely based.
Youngblood doesn't appear to have played with Hendrix after these 1966 sessions. Then in 1969 he was photographed jamming on stage with Youngblood in New York, and around this time he also added a lead guitar overdub to Youngblood's song "Georgia Blues". The two remained friends up until Jimi's death in 1970. Youngblood worked mostly as a backup musician during the remainder of the 60's for
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
,
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 ...
,
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...
,
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988).
Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The ...
, and other soul greats.
The recordings that Youngblood made that featured Hendrix amounted to four songs on two singles. They were released during Hendrix's lifetime. They were "Soul Food (That's a What I Like)" / "Goodbye, Bessie Mae" and "Go Go Shoes" / "Go Go Place".
Lonnie Youngblood continues to perform, and is nicknamed the "Prince of
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
".
Solo releases
Lonnie Youngblood has released at least four albums from the 1970s to the 1980s. ''Live At The Sugar Shack '' in 1971, ''Sweet Sweet Tootie'' in 1973 and the self-titled ''Lonnie Youngblood'' in 1977. All of them on the Turbo Records label. In 1981, ''Feelings'' was released by
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
.
In 2011, he recorded an album with electric organist
Dave "Baby" Cortez
David Cortez Clowney (born August 13, 1938), known by the stage name Dave "Baby" Cortez, is an American pop and R&B organist and pianist, best known for his 1959 hit, " The Happy Organ".
Life and career
Clowney was born in Detroit
Detro ...
for Norton Records, catalog number 380.
Releases
Singles
*"Go Go Shoes" / "Go Go Place", Fairmount Records F-1002, 1966
[Early Hendrix sit]
Discography confirmed Lonnie Youngblood
/ref>
*"Soul Food (That's a What I Like)" / "Goodbye, Bessie Mae", Fairmount Records F-1022, 1967
Albums
*''Live At The Sugar Shack'', Turbo Records TU 7003, 1971
*''Sweet Sweet Tootie'', Turbo Records TU-7011, 1973
*''Two Great Experiences Together'', Maple Record Co LPM 6004, 1971 (Jimi Hendrix & Lonnie Youngblood)
*''Lonnie Youngblood'', Turbo Records TU-7019, 1977[Discog]
Lonnie Youngblood – Lonnie Youngblood
/ref>
References
External links
Official Website
* Lonnie Youngblood Biography - Allmusic.combr>Harlem Continues to SpeakDiscography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Youngblood, Lonnie
1941 births
African American rock saxophonists
Living people
Musicians from Augusta, Georgia
American bandleaders
Jimi Hendrix
21st-century saxophonists
Loma Records artists