Sonny Lester

Sonny Lester
Birth nameSumner Lester
Born(1924-11-15)November 15, 1924
Melville, New York, U.S.[1]
OriginNew York City, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 28, 2018(2018-04-28) (aged 93)
University Park, Florida, U.S.
GenresJazz, Lounge music
Occupation(s)Musician, Producer, A&R
InstrumentTrumpet
LabelsSolid State Records, Blue Note Records, Lester Recording Catalog
Formerly ofChick Corea, Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie

Sumner Lester[2] (November 15, 1924 – April 28, 2018), better known as Sonny Lester, was an American Grammy-award-winning music producer from New York City.[3] He started his career as a musician in a big band jazz ensemble before being drafted into the U.S. Army. During the war he earned a Purple Heart and worked under Henry Kissinger, who was an intelligence officer at the time.[3] Lester's recordings have been distributed by labels including Blue Note, United Artists, Capitol, Denon and CBS Records.[4]

  1. ^ Ancestry: Sumner Lester in the U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
  2. ^ 1998 – JAZZ PRODUCER SUMNER “SONNY” LESTER SUES EMI
  3. ^ a b Brad Bigelow (January 3, 2008). "Sonny Lester". Space Age Pop. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  4. ^ Spore, Keith (October 4, 1991). "Price is right to strike jazz gold". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 16.