SIL AUSTIN
Genres: RnB, Exotica, Blues • United States

Born: September 17, 1929 in Dunnellon, Florida Died: September 1, 2001 in Riverdale, Georgia Sil Austin had his biggest successes in an overtly commercial rather than jazz vein, but he regarded great jazz saxophonists like Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Sonny Stitt as his major influences. He was a great showman on stage, and had a big, ripe, blues-inflected tenor sound which was ideally adapted to hard-driving rhythm and blues, but was also highly persuasive on ballads. He was born Sylvester Austin, and taught himself to play as a 12 year old. He won the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1945, playing "Danny Boy". His performance brought him a contract with Mercury Records, and he moved to New York, where he studied for a time at the Juilliard School of Music. He played with Roy Eldridge briefly, and with Tiny Bradshaw in 1952-54, before setting up read more...