Herschel "Tex" Evans (9 March 1909 – 9 February 1939) was an American

tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

who was a member of the

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 19 ...

. He also worked 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 ...

and

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

. He is also known for starting his cousin

Joe McQueen Joe Leandrew McQueen (May 30, 1919 – December 7, 2019), also known as Joe Lee McQueen, was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography McQueen was born in Ponder, Texas, and raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma. His father left when he was a young boy and ...

's interest in the saxophone. Joe McQueen, living until 2019 at age 100, may well have been the last surviving person to have known Herschel during his lifetime.

Life and career

Evans was born in

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

, but spent some of his childhood in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, where his cousin

Eddie Durham Edward Durham (August 19, 1906 – March 6, 1987) was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger. He was one of the pioneers of the electric guitar in jazz. The orchestras of Bennie Moten, Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie ...

was a trombonist and guitarist. Durham persuaded him to switch from alto to tenor saxophone, the instrument that ultimately established Evans's reputation. After perfecting his craft in the jam sessions held in the jazz district between Twelfth and Eighteenth streets in Kansas City, Evans returned to Texas in the 1920s and joined the Troy Floyd orchestra in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

in 1929. He stayed with this

territory band Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...

until it dispersed in 1932. Evans performed for a time with

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, and in the mid-1930s returned to Kansas City to become a featured soloist in

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 ...

's big band. For the next three years, Evans's prominence as a tenor saxophonist was at its peak, and he participated in musical duels with fellow band member

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 ...

. Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" featured the contrasting styles of the two musicians and brought to each the praise of both critics and the general public. Evans's greatest single success was his featured solo on Basie's hit "Blue and Sentimental." Evans also made records with jazz musicians such as

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of many ...

, and

. Evans has been credited with influencing fellow tenorist

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 ...

— who, in 1939, came from the

Nat Towles Nat Towles (August 10, 1905 – January 1963) was an American musician, jazz and big band leader popular in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, North Omaha, Nebraska and Chicago, Illinois. He was also music educator in Austin, Texas. The ...

band in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

to replace Evans in the Basie band when he died. He is also credited for influencing

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 ...

and

Arnett Cobb Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

. Although not a prolific composer, Evans wrote "Texas Shuffle" and "Doggin' Around", among other pieces.

Death

Evans was a member of the

Basie Orchestra Basie may refer to: * Azraq, Jordan, known as ''Basie'' or ''Basienis'' by the Romans * William James "Count" Basie (1904–1984), American jazz musician ** ''Basie'', the bandleader's 1954 album on the Clef label ** ''Basie'', the bandleader's 1 ...

from September 1936 until his death. Evans became ill while playing with Basie at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., sometime during the week from January 13 to January 19, 1939. He didn't feel well enough to make the Basie band's session with Decca on February 3;

Chu Berry Leon Brown "Chu" Berry (September 13, 1908 – October 30, 1941) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist during the 1930s. According to music critic Gary Giddins, musicians called him "Chu" either because he chewed on the mouthpiece of his saxop ...

substituted. He collapsed while performing a one-nighter on February 6 with the Basie band at the Crystal Ballroom in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

; he was rushed to Wadsworth Hospital in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

at 629 West 185th Street. Evans died February 9, 1939, at the age of 29 of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

while the Basie band was playing a one-nighter in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...

. His body was transferred to Los Angeles and

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

on February 14, St. Valentine's Day, at

Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a cemetery in Los Angeles at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the Pico-Union district, southwest of Downtown. It was founded as Rosedale Cemetery in 1884, when Los Angeles had a population of approximately 28,000, o ...

. Basie's recording session in New York with Decca on January 5, 1939, was Evans’ final recording. * Count Basie And His Orchestra,

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 We ...

2249 :

, Ed Lewis,

Shad Collins Lester Rallingston "Shad" Collins (June 27, 1910 – June 6, 1978) was an American jazz trumpet player, composer and arranger, who played in several leading bands between the 1930s and 1950s, including those led by Chick Webb, Benny Carter, Count ...

Harry Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backi ...

(trumpets);

Dicky Wells William Wells (June 10, 1907 – November 12, 1985), known professionally as Dicky Wells (sometimes Dickie Wells), was an American jazz trombonist. Career Dickie Wells is believed to have been born on June 10, 1907 in Centerville, Tennessee, Un ...

, Dan Minor,

Benny Morton Benny Morton (January 31, 1907 – December 28, 1985) was an American jazz trombonist, most associated with the swing genre. Career He was born in New York, United States. One of his first jobs was working with Clarence Holiday, and he appea ...

(trombones);

Earle Warren Earle Warren (born Earl Ronald Warren; July 1, 1914 – June 4, 1994) was an American saxophonist. He was part of the Count Basie Orchestra from 1937. Early life Warren was born in Springfield, Ohio, on July 1, 1914. "He played piano, banjo, an ...

(alto sax); Herschel Evans,

(tenor saxes);

Jack Washington Ronald "Jack" Washington (July 17, 1910 – November 28, 1964) was an American jazz saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra in the 1930s and 1940s. Life and career Born in Kansas City, Kansas, he started playing soprano saxo ...

(alto and bari sax);

(piano);

Freddie Green Frederick William Green (March 31, 1911 – March 1, 1987) was an American swing jazz guitarist who played rhythm guitar with the Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years. Early life and education Green was born in Charleston, South Car ...

(guitar);

Walter Page Walter Sylvester Page (February 9, 1900 – December 20, 1957) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, best known for his groundbreaking work as a double bass player with Walter Page's Blue Devils and the Count Basie Orchestr ...

(bass);

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes ...

(drums);

Helen Humes Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. Early life She was born on ...

(vocals) : Both numbers were arranged by

Jimmy Mundy James Mundy (June 28, 1907 – April 24, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Earl Hines. Mundy died of cancer in New York City at the age of 75 ...

and

sang on both : Recorded in New York, January 5, 1939 : 64851-A "

My Heart Belongs to Daddy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is a song written by Cole Porter, for the 1938 musical '' Leave It to Me!'' which premiered on November 9, 1938. It was originally performed by Mary Martin, who played Dolly Winslow, the young " protégée" of a rich ...

"; : 65852-A "

Sing for Your Supper 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 ...

Orchestra memberships

Evans was a member of the following orchestras: * Smith Brothers Orchestra * Trent's Number Two — Evans performed with TNT in 1927 * St. Louis Merrymakers — Evans performed when them around 1928 * Edgar Battle * Terrence Holder * George Corley * Troy Floyd (1901–1953) and His Shadowland Orchestra, San Antonio — Evans performed with Floyd from 1929 to 1932 * Lee Palmer *

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

(1883–1946) * Durham Brothers Orchestra # Joseph Durham, Jr. (brother), director, double bass, and tuba # Earl Durham (brother) # Roosevelt Durham (brother) #

(1906–1987) (brother) # Myrtle Durham (sister), piano # Allen Durham (cousin), trombone # Clyde Durham (cousin) * Ed Bailey Orchestra * Charles Echoles ''(né'' Charles Richard Echols; 1901–1957) *

Bennie Moten Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchest ...

— Evans performed with Moten from 1933 to 1935 *

— Evans performed for stints with Hampton in 1936 *

— Evans performed for stints with Clayton in 1936 *

— Evans performed with Basie from 1937 until his death

Selected discography and sessionography

; Compilation *

, '' The Original American Decca Recordings'' (GRP, 1937-39 992; ; Original sessions * Troy Floyd and His Shadowland Orchestra : Recorded in San Antonio, Texas, June 21, 1929 : 402696-B: "Dreamland Blues," part 1 (pt 1); : 402697-B: "Dreamland Blues," part 2 (pt 2); * Richard M. Jones: Jones' Chicago Cosmopolitans : Recorded in Chicago, September 13, 1935 : 90323-A: "Joe Louis Chant" : 90324-A: "Baby O'Mine" *

And His Orchestra :

, Joe Keyes, Carl Smith (trumpets);

George Hunt George Hunt may refer to: Sport * George Hunt (American football) (born 1949), American football player * George Hunt (footballer, born 1910) (1910–1996), English international footballer for Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal * George Hunt (footballe ...

, Dan Minor (trombones); Caughey Roberts (alto saxes); Herschel Evans,

(tenor saxes);

(baritone sax);

(piano); Claude Williams (guitar);

(bass);

(drums);

Jimmy Rushing James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948. Rushing was known as " Mr. Five by ...

(vocals) : Recorded in New York, January 21, 1937 : 61542-A: "Honeysuckle Rose",

1141; : 61543-A: "Pennies From Heaven",

1121, (Swi)M-39027, Br (E)02379, 80163, : 61544-A: "Swingin' at the Daisy Chain,"

1121 : 61545-A: "Roseland Shuffle,"

1141; *

: Claude Williams (guitar, violin 1); Leslie Williams (master of ceremonies) : Radio broadcast, live "The Chatterbox",

William Penn Hotel The Omni William Penn Hotel is a 23 floor (3 underground) hotel located at 530 William Penn Place on Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy. The hotel sta ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, February 8, 1937 : "Lady Be Good : "St. Louis Blues" : "

Moten Swing Moten is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Bennie Moten (1894–1935), American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri * Benny Moten (1916–1977), American jazz bassist * Eddie Moten (born 1981), American footb ...

" (theme and closing) : "Shoe Shine Swing" ("Roseland Shuffle") : "

" (theme and close)

Selected compositions

* "Doggin' Around" : Words and music by Edgar Battle and Herschel Evans : Copyright September 19, 1938 : Class E (musical composition, unpublished) 177494 : Lewis Music Publishing Co., New York * "Texas Shuffle" : Words and music by Edgar Battle and Herschel Evans : 1st copy October 17, 1938 : Class E (musical composition, unpublished) 179121 : Lewis Music Publishing Co., New York Edgar Battle sued Lewis Publishing Company in 1952 for failing to adequately promote songs that he published with them."Battle-Lewis Case to Go Before N.Y. Court,"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'', November 22, 1952, pg. 24 (last column, bottom)

Notes

References

Original copyrights *''

Catalog of Copyright Entries United States copyright registrations, renewals, and other catalog entries since 1978 are published online at the United States Copyright Office website. Entries prior to 1978 are not published in the online catalog. Copyright registrations and ren ...

, Part 3 Musical Compositions, New Series'',

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

Copyright Office The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that maintains records of copyright registration, including a copyright catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are ...

External links

All Music 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Herschel 1909 births 1939 deaths Count Basie Orchestra members American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists People from Denton, Texas Jazz musicians from Texas 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists American male jazz musicians Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery 20th-century American male musicians