Jimmy Forrest (musician)

This article is about the jazz musician. For other people, see James Forrest (disambiguation).
Jimmy Forrest
Forrest in 1959
Forrest in 1959
Background information
Birth nameJames Robert Forrest Jr.
Born(1920-01-24)January 24, 1920
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedAugust 26, 1980(1980-08-26) (aged 60)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
  • Jazz
  • R&B
  • blues
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTenor saxophone
Years active1935–1980
Labels

James Robert Forrest Jr. (January 24, 1920 – August 26, 1980)[1] was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone throughout his career.[2]

Forrest is known for his first solo recording of "Night Train". It reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart in March 1952, and stayed at the top for seven weeks. "Hey Mrs. Jones" (No. 3 R&B) and "Bolo Blues" were his other hits. All were made for United Records, for which he recorded between 1951 and 1953; he recorded frequently as both a sideman and a bandleader.

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 149. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ "The Dead Rock Stars Club - The 1980s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.