Ammons, Gene (Eugene; “Jug”)
Ammons, Gene (Eugene; “Jug”)
Ammons, Gene (Eugene; “Jug”), jazz tenor saxophonist, son of Albert Ammons; b. Chicago, April 14, 1925; d. of cancer, Chicago, Aug. 6, 1974. Ammons was popular and widely admired for his powerful sound, Lester Young-inspired flow, and deep approach to ballads. Some of his blues-based recordings had an R&B appeal as well. Ammons appeared with King Kolax around 1943 and Billy Eckstine from 1944 to 1946. He is featured in the Eckstine film Rhythm in a Riff (1946). From 1947 on, Ammons primarily led his own groups except for a tour with Woody Herman in 1949 and a co-led group with Sonny Stitt from 1950 through 1952. An early hit was the ballad “My Foolish Heart.” He suffered compound fractures in both legs when hit by a car in the Midwest in 1954, but soon resumed touring. However, he was arrested in late 1962, and between 1963 and 1969 his career was interrupted by a prison sentence for narcotics violations.
Discography
My Foolish Heart (1950); Blues up and Down (1950); Jammin’ in Hi Fi with G. A. (1957); Groove Blues (1958); Gene Ammons All Stars (1958); Big Sound of G. A. (1958); We’ll Be Together Again (1961); Up Tight (1961); Prime Cuts (1961); Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead (1961); Soulful Moods of G. A. (1962); Brother Jack Meets the Boss (1962); Boss Tenors in Orbit (1962); Boss Is Back (1969); Chicago Concert (1971) G. A. and Friends at Montreux (1973); Goodbye (1974).
—Lewis Porter