Trummy Young began his trombone career at the age of 16 in Booker Coleman's Hot Chocolate band. During his college years, he also learned to play trumpet and drums. During the '20s and '30s, he played in several bands, including those of Elmer Calloway and Earl Hines, with whom he performed from 1934 to 1937. He then spent seven years with Jimmy Lunceford's orchestra, in which he established a reputation as an excellent soloist and singer. After this collaboration, he led his own groups, appearing with Charlie Barnet, Roy Eldridge, Boyd Raeburn, Tiny Grimes and Claude Hopkins, among others. In the mid-40s, he joined Benny Goodman's big band, while his curiosity also led him to closely follow the advent of modern jazz. As a result, he took part in the first bebop records by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as the first performances of the legendary Jazz at the Philharmonic. In 1952, he joined Louis Armstrong's All Stars, with whom he crossed American borders to perform several times in Europe. After twelve years of this fruitful collaboration, during which he also played in several motion pictures, Trummy Young moved to Hawaii, where he pursued his musical career more quietly. In later years, he would return to the mainland on tour, for new recordings or to play with Earl Hines from time to time. Following an enforced rest due to illness in the '70s, he played again until the early '80s, mainly in Honolulu, where he led his last band.
