Born:
February 24th, 1933 in Corsicana, Texas
Died:
January 20th, 2009 in Kingston, New York
Story behind the nickname:
As a high school student, David "Fathead" Newman was admittedly bad at reading music, and learned to play by ear and from memory in band class. His teacher discovered he was pretending to read music when he saw Newman’s part upside down on his stand. He struck Newman with his conductor’s baton, and angrily called him “Fathead.” The name stuck for the rest of his life.
Bebop and Blues:
Newman grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he studied piano and alto saxophone at Lincoln High School. He was heavily influenced by bebop, but out of a desire to work as a musician, he became schooled in the more locally popular R&B and blues styles.
After attending Jarvis Christian College for two years, where he studied music and theology, Newman decided to drop out to pursue a performance career. He began touring with Buster Smith, an alto saxophone player who had played with many of the top musicians of the swing era, including Lester Young and Count Basie. Smith had helped develop the raw, bluesy sound that became associated with Southern saxophone players, and also mentored Charlie Parker.
Joining the Father of Soul:
Newman played with Smith and others until Ray Charles hired him to play baritone saxophone in 1954. A year later, Newman switched to tenor saxophone, and became a lead soloist in Charles’ groups, helping to define the soulful jazz sound of the great singer and pianist.
Newman played with Charles for ten years, recording on baritone, alto, and tenor saxophones. Charles also helped boost Newman’s solo career, supporting his first solo record, Fathead: Ray Charles Presents David Newman (1958).
After his tenure with Charles, Newman went on to record almost 40 albums as a leader, and many more as a sideman. He performed and recorded with Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Donny Hathaway, Natalie Cole, and others. In his later years, Newman brought his bluesy, effusive sound to large concert and festival audiences as well as the big screen, appearing in Robert Altman’s film, Kansas City. At age 75, he died of pancreatic cancer in Kingston, New York.
