Benny golson net worth
- •
Benny Golson (1929-) grew up in Philadelphia where, as a teenager, he became friends with another saxophone player, John Coltrane. After studying at Howard University, which had a conservative music program that insisted on Golson playing clarinet, he left in 1951 to play in guitarist Tiny Grimes’ group. Next he joined Bull Moose Jackson’s R&B band where he became friends with his idol, Tadd Dameron. After a stint with Lionel Hampton, Golson went with Earl Bostic before joining Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1956. In 1958 he got a call from Art Blakey and stayed with him for a year, during which time he wrote the jazz standards “Along Came Betty,” “Are You Real,” and “Blues March.”
In 1959 Golson and Art Farmer formed the Jazztet which remained together until 1962. Golson then immersed himself in studying composition and orchestrating and went to Hollywood in 1967 where he wrote commercials for products and companies from Borateem to Texaco, scored TV shows such as M*A*S*H, Mission Impossible, and The Partridge Family, and composed or arranged for musicians as diverse
- •
Transcript of conversation with Benny Golson
Music
That is 1996 Jazz master Benny Golson playing his own tune, "Stablemates."
Welcome to Art Works, the program that goes behind the scenes with some of the nation’s great artists to explore how art works. I’m your host Josephine Reed.
Benny Golson not only plays a terrific tenor sax, he’s also probably most important living composer in jazz today.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, benny began studying the piano when he was 9, but within a few years, he moved to the saxophone. While he was in high school, Golson played with several other young and hungry musicians, , including Jimmy and Percy Heath Philly Joe Jones, and his great friend, John Coltrane. When Golson went to Howard University, there was no jazz program; indeed, he wasn't even allowed to play jazz there. Times have changed. Howard now has its own jazz ensemble and gives a yearly Benny Golson Award.
After earning hisdegree from Howard, Benny Golson joined Bull Moose Jackson's band. He began arranging and composing almost immediately wit
- •
Benny Golson
American jazz saxophonist and composer (1929–2024)
Musical artist
Benny Golson (January 25, 1929 – September 21, 2024) was an American bebop and hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launching his solo career. Golson was known for co-founding and co-leading The Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer in 1959. From the late 1960s through the 1970s Golson was in demand as an arranger for film and television and thus was less active as a performer, but he and Farmer re-formed the Jazztet in 1982.
Many of Golson's compositions have become jazz standards, including "I Remember Clifford", "Blues March", "Stablemates", "Whisper Not", "Along Came Betty", and "Killer Joe". He is regarded as "one of the most significant contributors" to the development of hard bop jazz, and was a recipient of a Grammy Trustees Award in 2021.
Early life and education
He was born Benny Golson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 25, 1929.
Copyright ©bandfull.pages.dev 2025