Jazz tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons was born Eugene Ammons, the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, in Chicago, Illinois on April 14, 1925. He studied at DuSable High School and was already being recognized for his talent before he left school. In 1943, he toured with trumpeter King Kolax and his band. Gene Ammons joined Billy Eckstine's Big Band in 1944, playing alongside Charlie Parker and Dexter Goodman. Gene Ammons’ first hit as a leader was “Red Top” in 1947. He played with Woody Herman’s Second Heard in 1949 before achieving a fair amount of solo success in the early 1950s. During the first half of the decade, he scored hits with tracks like “My Foolish Heart”. He continued playing alongside other great jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd and others. As a leader, he formed a band in 1955 that he dubbed Gene Ammons’ All Stars. While the revolving line-up would change with each album, during their lifespan, the All Stars featured jazz greats such as Art Farmer, Lou Donaldson, Pepper Adams, Art Taylor, Mal Waldron, Jackie McLean, Paul Quinichette, and others. The first album by Gene Ammons’ All Stars was A High Fidelity Modern Jazz Jam Session in 1955, followed by Jammin’ with Gene in 1956. Further albums included Jammin’ in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons (1957), and Blue Gene and The Big Sound, both released in 1958. They scored a hit with the single “The Happy Blues” in 1958, which inspired the title of their next album, Happy Blues (1960). The last album of new material released under the Gene Ammons’ All Stars name was 1961’s Groove Blues. During the 1960s, Gene Ammons served two stints in prison for narcotics possession but returned to the music scene in 1969. Gene Ammons died of cancer on August 6, 1974 at the age of 49.
