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Boots Randolph 1927 - 2007
Boots' last performance during "Singing On The Mountain" at Grandfather
Mountain, NC. - June 24, 2007
This is how he'll be remembered by his fans, and those that knew him.
Photo © courtesy Bucky Barrett
On behalf of Scotty, Gail and the rest of us we
wish to express our deepest sympathies and regrets to the friends and family of
Boots. He will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace.
Tuesday July 3, 2007
Saxophone Legend Boots Randolph dies at 80
Boots Randolph - Aug 13, 2004
By BILL FRISKICS-WARREN
Staff Writer
THE TENNESSEAN
Boots Randolph, Nashville's most celebrated saxophonist and a member of
the city's vaunted "A-Team" of session musicians, died this afternoon
after suffering a subdural hematoma last week. He was 80.
Mr. Randolph played a major role in the development of the Nashville Sound,
where his always soulful playing galvanized popular recordings by the likes of
Elvis Presley and Eddy Arnold.
As singular as his work as a sideman was, however, Mr. Randolph was best known
for his 1963 hit "Yakety Sax," a juking instrumental inspired by King
Curtis' saxophone solo on the Coasters' 1958 R&B smash "Yakety
Yak."
Written with guitarist James "Spider" Rich, Mr. Randolph's record
later became the theme song of the long-running British comedy The Benny Hill
Show.
"Chicken pickin' saxophone" is how Country Music Hall of Famer and
fellow A-Team member Harold Bradley described the short, spluttering notes that
hooked "Yakety Sax."
Mr. Randolph, too, invoked rural imagery to describe his playing, routinely
joking from the stage that he was "the world's only hillbilly
saxophonist."
Ironically, it was his gift for improvisation and command of dynamics in genres
ranging from jazz to blues that in many ways stood out most.
"The sax is a loud, blare-y instrument," said A-Teamer Bob Moore.
"But Boots had a way of playing something that would fit with the style and
the mood of the song. Whatever he came up with was always outstanding."
Brenda Lee, discussing Mr. Randolph's swinging solo on her 1960 hit "Rockin'
Around the Christmas Tree," said, "I don't care who has recorded that
song since, they all copied him."
From his salacious wailing on Elvis' 1960 recording of "Reconsider
Baby" to the staccato riff he played on Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty
Woman," Mr. Randolph's contributions indeed were inimitable.
Boots Randolph - Aug 13, 2004
Born in Paducah, Ky., in 1927, Mr. Randolph grew up playing ukulele and trombone
in his family's band, which supplemented their household income with public
performances during the Depression. He didn't take up the
saxophone until he was in high school.
Mr. Randolph worked in nightclubs in Indiana and Illinois for a decade after
serving in the Army during World War II. His big break came after he sent a tape
of "Yakety Sax" to Chet Atkins, then the head of RCA Records in
Nashville. Atkins liked what he heard and hired Mr. Randolph to do session work
for such artists as Perry Como and Homer & Jethro.
Atkins also signed him to a solo contract but it wasn't until Mr. Randolph moved
to the fledging Monument label that his career took off. He became a regular on
the Grand Ole Opry and was a frequent guest on such network TV programs as The
Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.
In 1977 he opened his famous Boot Randolph's nightclub in Printer's Alley, a
popular tourist attraction until it closed in 1994.
Just last month, he released A Whole New Ballgame, an album of standards like
"Nature Boy" and "'Round Midnight" that found him in fine
form.
Mr. Randolph continued to work as a sideman even after he became a headliner.
Bradley called him a consummate team player and believes that Mr. Randolph's
contributions helped lend the Nashville Sound broader popular appeal.
Bob Moore remembered Mr. Randolph as someone who would pitch in where needed. At
the same time, he said, "If you didn't watch out, Boots would become the
star, it didn't matter who he was playing with.
"I've always said that, as the bass player, I have the best seat in the
house," Moore explained. "I stood right behind Elvis and I stood right
behind Tammy. No matter who I was playing with, I'd look out at the crowd
and could always tell by the looks on people's faces when Boots would take his
turn at the center of the stage. He knocked them out every time. And when he
would step back to the side, they would still be watching him."
Beyond his unassailable musicianship, Mr. Randolph was an avid golfer, a devoted
family man and a friend to many.
"He was not only a definitive musician," said Lee, "he was also a
true gentleman, and a wonderful friend to me, as he was to so many in the
Nashville recording community.
"He was a precious, sweet man," she added. "His passing leaves a
void that will be impossible to fill."
Mr. Randolph is survived by Dee Randolph, his wife of 59 years, his son Randy
Randolph and daughter Linda O'Neal, all of Nashville.
Funeral services are pending. A memorial service will be conducted by the
Nashville Association of Musicians Local 257 at a later date.
This article © courtesy The
Tennessan
Boots Randolph - Aug 13, 2004
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