Lester YoungLester Young was born into a musical life on August 27, 1909, in Woodville, Missouri. His father, Willis Handy Young had a diverse range of musical skills and taught each of
his children to play instruments.
Lester became familiar with the violin, trumpet, and drums, but
eventually settled on the alto saxophone at around age thirteen. In
1927, after a dispute with his father, Lester left the Family band and
began playing tenor sax with Art Bronson's Bostonians. After reuniting
briefly with his family in New Mexico, Lester settled in Minniapolis and
played at the Nest Club in 1931. By 1933 Kansas City was Young's base
and during this time he played with the likes of Bennie Moten, George E.
Lee, Clarence Love, King Oliver, Fletcher Henderson,
and Coleman
Hawkins. 1934 saw Lester team up with Count Basie, an association which
led to national recognition for the axophonist. After a brief sabatical
from Basie's orchestra, Young rejoined in 1936. With a unit from Basie's
band, he made his first individual recordings. During the next few
years, as Basie's fame grew, Young's also increased. Although critics
offered mixed reviews, other musicians appreciated his style of play and
credit him as a major influence in their musical
development.
