Buddy Tate made his professional debut at the age of 13 in the band of his cousin, trumpeter Roy Mc Cloud. He went on to play in Terence Holden's band (1930), then spent a few weeks with Count Basie in 1934. The 1930-1940 period was also a good time for musicians to broaden their experience. Buddy Tate played successively in the very popular Lucky Millinder (1934) and Andy Kirk (1935) orchestras. The untimely death (heart attack) of tenor saxophonist Herschel Evans left a big hole in Count Basie's big band, and he immediately called on Buddy Tate (1939-1949). Another Basie alumnus, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, set up his own small band in 1949, calling on Buddy Tate. The band toured Europe in 1949. Swing jazz was still alive and well, despite the arrival of the boppers, and Buddy Tate spent two years with "Mr Five by Five", pianist-singer Jimmy Rushing (1950-1952). It wasn't until 1953 that Buddy Tate formed his first band: for some twenty years he played the Celebrity Club in New York. The band expanded, welcoming trumpeter Buck Clayton in 1959, and toured Europe on several occasions (1959, 1961, 1968, 1971). In 1975, together with saxophonist Paul Quinichette, he led a small group that played at New York's West End Cafe, before teaming up with Illinois Jacquet. This collaboration took them to numerous festivals in the USA (Newport 1980) and Europe (Nice). Buddy Tate's powerful, direct playing is deeply inspired by Herschel Evans, a musician of the interwar generation."
