Milton Brent Buckner (July 10, 1915 – July 27, 1977)
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 major ...
pianist and organist, who in the early 1950s popularized the
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
.
[Arwulf Arwulf]
Milt Buckner biography
All Music. He pioneered the parallel chords style
Feather, Leonard
Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.
Biography
Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...
, & Ira Gitler
Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...
(2007). ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford University Press. that influenced
Red Garland
William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jazz ...
,
George Shearing
Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 t ...
,
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
, and
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
. Buckner's brother,
Ted Buckner
Theodore Guy Buckner (December 14, 1913, St. Louis, Missouri - April 12, 1976, Detroit, Michigan) was an American jazz saxophonist. He was the brother of Milt Buckner.
Buckner was raised in Detroit, where he played very early in his career befo ...
, was a jazz saxophonist.
Early life and career
Milton Brent Buckner was born in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, United States.
His parents encouraged him to learn to play piano, but they both died when he was nine years old. Milt and his younger brother Ted were sent to Detroit where they were adopted by members of the Earl Walton band:
trombonist John Tobias, drummer George Robinson fostered Milt and reedplayer Fred Kewley ( Fred Cecil Kewley; 1889–1953) fostered Ted.
[Lars Bjorn with Jim Gallert]
''Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60''
University of Michigan Press, 2001, p. 24-25. Buckner studied piano for three years from the age 10, then at 15 began writing arrangements for the band, he and his brother going on to become active in the Detroit jazz world in the 1930s.
Buckner first played in Detroit with the
McKinney's Cotton Pickers
McKinney's Cotton Pickers were an American jazz band, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1926, and led by William McKinney, who expanded his Synco Septet to ten players. Cuba Austin took over for McKinney on drums, with the latter bec ...
and then with
Cab Calloway
Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...
. In 1941, he joined
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...
's big band, and for the next seven years served as its pianist and staff arranger.
Buckner was part of a Variety Revue of 1950 organized by Lionel Hampton at the Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
in Los Angeles which was produced by
Leon Hefflin, Sr.
Leon Norman Hefflin, Sr. (August 17, 1898 – November 20, 1975) was a pioneering African-American producer, director, business owner, furniture manufacturer, and entrepreneur. After losing his large and successful manufacturing business in the ...
on June 25, 1950.
He led a short-lived big band of his own for two years,
but then returned to Hampton's in 1950.
In 1952, he formed his own trio and pioneered the use of the electric Hammond organ.
He often played in Europe in the late 1960s. His last studio session took place in Paris on 4 July 1977.
Milt Buckner is also known for the use of his song "The Beast" in the title menu of the video game, ''
Battlefield: Bad Company''.
Buckner died of a heart attack in July 1977, in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, at the age of 62.
[
]
Discography
* "Vibe Boogie" (with Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...
) (V-Disc
V-Disc ( "V" for Victory) was a record label that was formed in 1943 to provide records for U.S. military personnel. Captain Robert Vincent supervised the label from the Special Services division.
Many popular singers, big bands, and orches ...
404, 1945)
* "Chord-A-Re-Bop" (with Lionel Hampton) (Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
18830, 1946)
* ''Milton Buckner: The Swinging Block-Chords Pianist 1943–1950'' (EPM Musique
EPM Musique is a French record label that was created in 1986 by François Dacla, former president of RCA France. The label specializes in Chanson and its legacy. It is also dedicated to poetry, theater, and children's music.
"EPM is a French la ...
16018, 2002)
* ''The Chronological Milt Buckner 1946–1951'' (Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
'Blues & Rhythm Series' 5032, 2002)
* "Milt's Boogie" b/w "Buck's Bop" (MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
10410, 1949)
* "M.B. Blues" b/w "Oo-Be-Doop" (MGM 10504, 1949)
* "Buck-A-Boo" b/w "Yesterdays" (MGM 10632, 1949)
* ''Milt Buckner Piano'' (Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savo ...
MG-15023 0" LP 1953) - note: includes 6 of the 13 tracks Buckner's Beale Street Gang recorded for Savoy in 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1951.
* ''Organ...Sweet 'N' Swing'' (Regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
MG-6004, 1956) - note: a shared album with Bobby Banks, and Vin Strong; includes 4 of the 6 tracks Buckner's trio recorded for Scooter Records (a subsidiary of Roost) in 1952: "By The River St. Marie", "Rollin' Strollin'", Take It Away", and "Russian Lullaby".
* ''Rockin' with Milt'' (Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerous ...
T-642, 1955; CD reissue: Jasmine JASCD-499, 2009)
* ''Rockin' Hammond'' (Capitol T-722, 1956; CD reissue: Jasmine JASCD-499, 2009)
* ''Send Me Softly'' (Capitol T-938, 1957; CD reissue: Solar U4569921, 2012)
* ''Mighty High'' ( Argo LPS-660, 1959; CD reissue: Solar U4569916, 2012)
* ''Please, Mr. Organ Player'' (Argo LPS-670, 1960; CD reissue: Solar U4569921, 2012)
* ''Midnight Mood'' (Argo LPS-702, 1961; CD reissue: Solar U4569916, 2012)
* ''The New World of Milt Buckner'' (Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
BCP-6072, 1963)
* ''Play Chords'' (SABA 15110, 1966)
* ''Them There Eyes'' (with Buddy Tate) ( Black & Blue 33.013, 1967)
* ''Locked Hands'' ( MPS 15199, 1968)
* ''More Chords'' (MPS 15237, 1969)
* ''Rockin' Again'' (Black & Blue 33.043, 1972)
* ''Black and Blue Stomp'' (Black & Blue, 33.061, 1973)
* ''Block Chords Parade'' (Black & Blue 33.184, 1974 el. 1984
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
CD reissue: Black & Blue BB-953, 2002)
* ''Green Onions'' (with Roy Gaines) (Black & Blue 33.087, 1975; Classic Jazz CJ-141, 1980; CD reissue: Black & Blue BB-929, 2000)
* ''Milt Buckner & His Alumni (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)'' (Black & Blue BB-909, 1976 el. 1998
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
* ''Boogie Woogie USA'' (Black & Blue 33.120, 1977)
As sideman
With Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005) was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1983 for his album, ''Alright Again!''.
Early life
Br ...
* ''Sings Louis Jordan'' (Black & Blue 33.053, 1973)
* ''Cold Strange'' (Black & Blue 33.096, 1973 el. 1976
With Arnett Cobb
* ''Again with Milt Buckner'' (Black & Blue 33.052, 1973)
* ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 3'' (with Floyd "Candy" Johnson too!) (Black & Blue 33.055, 1973)
* ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 6'' (Black & Blue 33.093, 1976)
* ''The Wild Man From Texas'' (Black & Blue 33.099, 1976)
With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...
* ''Leapin' on Lenox'' (Black & Blue 33.072, 1974)
With Roy Gaines
Roy James Gaines (August 12, 1937 – August 11, 2021) was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He wrote and recorded the song "A Hell of a Night", which was first issued on his 1982 album ''Gainelining''. ...
* ''Superman'' (Black & Blue, 33.088, 1975)
With Tiny Grimes
Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes (July 7, 1916 – March 4, 1989) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He was a member of the Art Tatum Trio from 1943 to 1944, was a backing musician on recording sessions, and later led his own bands, including a rec ...
* ''Chasin with Milt'' (Black & Blue 33.017, 1968)
With Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo.
Although he was a pioneer of t ...
* ''Go Power!
''Go Power!'' is a live album by saxophonist Illinois Jacquet recorded in Massachusetts in 1966 and released on the Cadet label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MCadet Album Discography (1965-1971)accessed April 16, 2013 Reception
Allmusic awarded the a ...
'' (Cadet LPS-773, 1966)
* '' The King!'' (Prestige
Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.)
Prestige may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
* ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...
PR-7597, 1968)
* '' The Soul Explosion'' (Prestige PR-7629, 1969)
* ''Genius at Work!'' (Black Lion Black Lion, Black Lions, or Blacklions may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Black Lion, Hammersmith, a London pub
* Black Lion, Kilburn, a London pub
* Black Lion Records, a British jazz record company
* Black Lions Films, associated wit ...
BL-146, 1971)
* ''Illinois Jacquet with Milt and Jo'' (Black & Blue 33.070, 1974)
* ''Jacquet's Street'' (Black & Blue 33.112, 1976)
With Floyd "Candy" Johnson
Floyd "Candy" Johnson (May 1, 1922 in Madison, Illinois – June 28, 1981 in Framingham, Massachusetts) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Career
Johnson started on drums before moving to saxophone. His professional career began in St. Louis, wher ...
* ''Candy's Mood'' (with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown too!) (Black & Blue 33.058, 1973)
With Guy Lafitte
Guy Lafitte (12 January 1927 – 10 June 1998) was a French jazz saxophonist.
Career
A native of Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne, France, he worked with Mezz Mezzrow from 1951 to 1952 and Big Bill Broonzy in 1951. In 1954 he made Paris his home and ...
* ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 7'' (Black & Blue 33.115, 1977)
With Jay McShann
James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...
* ''Jumpin' the Blues'' (Black & Blue 33.039, 1970 el. 1972
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
* ''Kansas City Memories'' (Black & Blue 33.057, 1973)
With Buddy Morrow
Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff, aka Moe Zudekoff; February 8, 1919 – September 27, 2010) was an American trombonist and bandleader.
Career
On a scholarship at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–1947) at Juill ...
* ''Night Train Goes to Hollywood'' (Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
MG-20702/SR-60702, 1962)
With Andre Persiany
* ''Pianistically Yours'' (Black & Blue 33.176, 1975–1976 el. 1982
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
With Hal Singer
Harold Joseph Singer (October 8, 1919 – August 18, 2020), also known as Hal "Cornbread" Singer, was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and jazz bandleader and saxophonist.
Early life
Harold Joseph Singer was born in Greenwood District, Tul ...
* ''Milt And Hal'' (with Tiny Grimes
Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes (July 7, 1916 – March 4, 1989) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He was a member of the Art Tatum Trio from 1943 to 1944, was a backing musician on recording sessions, and later led his own bands, including a rec ...
too!) (Black & Blue 33.016, 1968)
With Buddy Tate
George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.
Biography
Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All A ...
* ''When I'm Blue'' (Black & Blue 33.014, 1967)
* ''Crazy Rhythm'' (Black & Blue 33.018, 1968)
* ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 1'' (Black & Blue 33.026, 1971)
* ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 4'' (Black & Blue 33.068, 1974)
* ''Midnight Slows, Vol. 5'' (Black & Blue 33.075, 1974)
With Marcel Zanini
Marcel Zanini (real name Zannini; 9 September 1923 – 18 January 2023) was a Turkish-born French jazz musician..
Zanini was born on 9 September 1923 in Istanbul, Turkey. His family arrived in Marseille in 1930 and settled there. His father was ...
* ''Blues and Bounce!'' (Black & Blue 33.110, 1976)
References
External links
BBC Radio 2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, Milt
Swing pianists
American jazz keyboardists
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
American jazz organists
American male organists
Jazz fusion keyboardists
Jazz fusion organists
Musicians from St. Louis
1915 births
1977 deaths
Prestige Records artists
MPS Records artists
20th-century American pianists
20th-century organists
Jazz musicians from Missouri
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
20th-century American keyboardists
Black & Blue Records artists
Argo Records artists