Jazz Drummer Lee Young Dies

by Leslie Johnson

Jazz drummer Lee Young, 94, died at his Los Angeles home July 31 of complications from colon cancer. The brother of tenor saxophone great Lester Young, Lee Young had a long and admirable career, playing with many jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton and Oscar Peterson.

Young was Nat King Cole's musical director for nearly ten years, and he broke new ground as the first African American hired as a staff musician in a Hollywood studio orchestra, signing with Columbia Pictures in 1946. Previously, he had worked sporadically at other studios, including, in the late 1930s, a gig at MGM when he taught Mickey Rooney how to play drums for Strike Up the Band.

Born in New Orleans March 7, 1914, Young came from a musical family. His father, Willis Handy Young, was a multi-instrumentalist, and Lee's siblings, Lester and Irma, played saxophone. A family band was formed, and it toured the African American vaudeville circuit. As a result, the Youngs lived in a variety of cities, including Minneapolis, Albuquerque and Phoenix. By 1930, they had settled in Los Angeles, where Willis Young became an admired music teacher and Lee got his first gig on his own, singing at the Apex Club when he was still in junior high school.

Lee Young's talent was recognized early, and he played with many top bands, making his first recording at 23 with Fats Waller, with whom he toured in the 1930s. By 1941, he had formed his own band with his brother, Lester, as co-leader. The band's success led to broadcasts two nights a week for KHJ-AM radio, but by 1943, the band was history. The Los Angeles jazz scene was healthy, so Young led small groups and also gigged at the movie studios, signing with Columbia in 1946. He left the studio two years later, finding the work unchallenging.

Young's connection with Nat King Cole began when Young played drums for Norman Granz's first Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) concert in Los Angeles in 1944. The gig was a fundraiser for young Mexicans wrongly convicted of murder, and Cole was one of the performing artists. Lee and his brother toured with JATP after that, but eventually Cole hired Young to serve as his musical director and drummer, a stint that lasted from 1953 to 1962.

Young made scores of recordings during his career, and, after leaving Cole, he also produced many recordings, working as an executive for such labels as Liberty, ABC/Dunhill and Vee-Jay. He also mentored young musicians, including alto sax player Art Pepper.

More details on Young's life can be found in the RAG's comprehensive two-part series on Lee and Lester Young, published in the December 1992 and January 1993 issues.

His survivors include Young's wife of 55 years, Geraldine, a daughter, son, sister, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

September 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

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