Johnny Letman
Johnny Letman (September 6, 1917, McCormick, South Carolina[1] – July 17, 1992)[1] was an American jazz trumpeter.
Letman played early in his career in midwest bands, including those of Jerry Valentine, Scatman Crothers, and Jimmy Raschelle. Moving to Chicago in the middle of the 1930s, he worked with Delbert Bright, Bob Tinsley, Johnny Lang, Nat King Cole (1938), Horace Henderson (1941–42), and Red Saunders (1942).[2] He spent a year or so in Detroit, playing with Teddy Buckner and John Kirby, then moved to New York City in 1944.[2] His credits there included Phil Moore, Lucky Millinder (1945), Cab Calloway (1947–49), Milt Buckner, and Count Basie (1951).[2]
Letman did extensive work as a studio musician and in Broadway shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Discography
As leader
- The Many Angles of John Letman (Bethlehem, 1960)
- A Funky Day in Paris (Black and Blue, 1968)
- I'm Shooting High with Red Richards, George Kelly, Leonard Gaskin, Ronnie Cole (Sackville, 1988)
As guest
- Bernard Addison, High in a Basement (77 Records, 1961)
- Milt Buckner & Hal Singer, Milt and Hal (Black and Blue, 1968)
- Cab Calloway, Jumpin Jive (CBS Records|CBS, 1984)
- Buck Clayton, A Swingin' Dream (Stash, 1989)
- Vic Dickenson, Mainstream (Atlantic, 1958)
- Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Spells (Jazz Time 1993)
- Catalyst, 1977)
- Chubby Jackson, Chubby Jackson Discovers Maria Marshall (Crown, 1961)
- Stuff Smith, Sweet Swingin' Stuff (20th Fox 1959)
- Sammy Price, Just Right (Black and Blue, 1993)
References
- ^ a b Obituary: Johnny Letman, The Independent, Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
Other sources
- Scott Yanow, Johnny Letman at AllMusic
- Dictionnaire du Jazz (Philippe Carles, Paris, 1988)