Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor was a renowned tenor saxophonist whose work spanned the R&B, jazz, blues and pop arenas. Hie is famed for both his work as a ubiquitous session man on hit recordings by major artists and also for his own work leading his own bands.

The singles and albums he released under his own name  featured both original material and interpretations of standards designed to showcase his distinctive style as a saxophonist. Born in Lexington, Tennessee, he  attended Alabama State University, where he played with the Bama State Collegians. He later worked with Scatman Crothers, Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Buddy Johnson, Louis Jordan and Big Joe Turner on his way to becoming one of the most requested session saxophone players in New York recording studios in the 1950s. He was best-known for his sax solo on Big Joe Turner’s classic  Shake Rattle And Roll. Other notable performances include  turns on records such as The Drifters’ Money Honey and Sh-Boom by The Chords.

This 53-track collection comprises early releases on the Abbey label plus most of his A & B sides with his Cat Men and orchestra from these years on MGM, along with selected titles from his MGM albums Blue Mist, Out Of This World, Music With The Big Beat, Music For Melancholy Babies, Rockin’ Sax & Rollin’ Organ  and Jazz For Commuters & Salute To The Saxes. Taylor died in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 74 and it is hoped that this collection offers a varied and entertaining cross-section of his recorded output during this early period.

While he continued to play and record throughout the 1960s and ’70s, this compilation serves as a vibrant celebration to one of the most notable saxophonists of the era.

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