Died On This Date (March 15, 1959) Lester Young / Jazz Legend
themusicsover Lester Young
August 22, 1909 – March 15, 1959
Lester young was one of the most influential musicians to come out o jazz’s golden age. During that era, we had the “King” of Swing, “Count” Basie, and “Duke” Ellington, but Young kept it less regal and more American by being called “The Pres,” a nickname given to him by Billie Holiday. Young recorded with many of his great peers, including Count Basie, Jo Jones, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole. To some, he was a bit of an eccentric, perhaps because he was not very trusting of anyone outside his inner circle. In fact, he created his own language that only his closest friends could understand. In his final years, Young was barely surviving some bad habits that he had developed, including heavy drinking and minimal eating. This lead to liver disease and serious malnutrition, the major contributors to his death at age 49 when he literally drank himself to death.
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