Ben Tucker

Ben Tucker
Benjamin M. Tucker (December 13, 1930 – June 4, 2013) was an American jazz bassist who appeared on hundreds of recordings. Tucker played on albums by Art Pepper, Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, Hank Crawford, Junior Mance, and Herbie Mann.
He was born in Tennessee. As bass player in the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, he wrote the instrumental version of the song "Comin' Home Baby!", first issued on the album Two Feet in the Gutter. Bob Dorough later wrote a lyric to the song, and the vocal version became a Top 40 hit for jazz singer Mel Tormé in 1962.
Tucker released the album Baby, You Should Know It (Ava, 1963) with Victor Feldman, Larry Bunker, Bobby Thomas, Ray Crawford, Tommy Tedesco, and Carlos "Patato" Valdes.
By 1972, Tucker owned two radio stations, WSOK-AM, which had over 400,000 listeners, and WLVH-FM. Both of these were located in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. During the 1990s he owned a jazz bar in Savannah called Hard Hearted Hannah's.
He died in a traffic collision in Hutchinson Island, Georgia, on June 4, 2013.
Discography
Leader
Sweet Thunder (BenGlo Records (US)|BenGlo Music, 2009)
Baby, You Should Know It (Ava records (US), 1963)
Sideman
With Mose Allison
The Word from Mose (Atlantic, 1964)
With Dave Bailey
Reaching Out (Jazztime, 1961)
Bash! (Jazzline, 1961)
2 Feet in the Gutter (Epic, 1961)
With Kenny Burrell
On View at the Five Spot Cafe (Blue Note, 1959)
Freedom (Blue Note, 1964 [1980])
Swingin' (Blue Note, 1956 [rel. 1980])
With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Love Calls (RCA Victor, 1968)
With Lou Donaldson
Gravy Train (Blue Note, 1961)
With Teddy Edwards
Sunset Eyes (Pacific Jazz, 1960)
It's All Right! (Prestige, 1967)
With Gil Evans
The Individualism of Gil Evans (Verve, 1964)
With Dexter Gordon
Clubhouse (Blue Note, 1965 [1979])
With Grant Green
Green Street (Blue Note, 1961)
Sunday Mornin' (Blue Note, 1961)
Grantstand (Blue Note, 1961)
With Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton Trio Introducing Freddie Gambrell (World Pacific, 1958)
With Roland Hanna
Easy to Love (ATCO, 1960)
With Willis Jackson
Gator's Groove (Prestige, 1969)
With Illinois Jacquet
The Message (Prestige, 1963)
Bottoms Up (Prestige, 1968)
With Quincy Jones
Quincy's Got a Brand New Bag (Mercury, 1965)
With Clifford Jordan
Soul Fountain (Vortex, 1966 [1970])
With Yusef Lateef
The Centaur and the Phoenix (Riverside, 1960)
With Junior Mance
The Soulful Piano of Junior Mance (Jazzland, 1960)
With Herbie Mann
Herbie Mann at the Village Gate (Atlantic, 1961)
Herbie Mann Live at Newport (Atlantic, 1963)
Standing Ovation at Newport (Atlantic, 1965)
With Warne Marsh
Jazz of Two Cities (Imperial, 1956)
With Pat Martino
Strings! (Prestige, 1967)
East! (Prestige, 1968)
With James Moody
The Blues and Other Colors (Milestone, 1969)
With Gerry Mulligan
Jeru (Columbia, 1962)
With Mark Murphy
That's How I Love the Blues! (Riverside, 1963)
With Oliver Nelson
Fantabulous (Argo, 1964)
With Art Pepper
The Art Pepper Quartet (Tampa, 1956)
Art Pepper with Warne Marsh (Contemporary, 1956 [1986]) with Warne Marsh
Collections (Intro, 1957) with Red Norvo, Joe Morello and Gerry Wiggins
Modern Art (Intro, 1957)
Mucho Calor (Andex, 1957) with Conte Candoli
With Lalo Schifrin
Samba Para Dos (Verve, 1963) with Bob Brookmeyer
With Bola Sete
Bossa Nova (Fantasy, 1962)
With Jimmy Smith
Got My Mojo Workin' (Verve, 1966)With Jeremy SteigFlute Fever (Columbia, 1964)With Sonny Stitt Sax Expressions (Roost, 1965)With Billy Taylor I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Tower, 1968)
Sleeping Bee (MPS, 1969)With Harold Vick' Commitment'' (Muse, 1967 [1974])
References
1930 births
2013 deaths
American jazz double-bassists
Male double-bassists
Musicians from Savannah, Georgia
Road incident deaths in Georgia (U.S. state)
Tennessee State University alumni
American male jazz musicians