Coleman Hawkins

Coleman Hawkins (1904-69), American jazz musician, a seminal figure in the development of the bebop style of jazz. Considered the father of the jazz tenor saxophone, he was noted for the full-bodied sound of his music. Hawkins was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and began playing professionally in his teens, joining the Jazz Hounds of Mamie Smith in 1921 and the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in 1923; by the 1930s he had established himself as a leading performer. After touring (1934-39) Europe, he returned to the U.S. and recorded the classic album Body and Soul (1939). He then became a soloist; he continued to play and lead his own groups until a few weeks before his death.