Preston Love
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| Preston Love | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Preston Love |
| Born | April 26, 1921 |
| Origin | Omaha, Nebraska U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Band leader, musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Alto saxophone |
| Years active | 1936 - 2004 |
| Associated acts | Nat Towles, Lloyd Hunter, Snub Mosely, Lucky Millinder, Fats Waller, Count Basie Orchestra, Lena Horne, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin |
Preston Love (1921-2004) was a renowned alto saxophonist from Omaha, Nebraska.
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[edit] Biography
Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High.
He became renowned as a professional sideman and saxophone balladeer in the heyday of the big band era. He was a member of the bands of Nat Towles, Lloyd Hunter, Snub Mosely, Lucky Millinder and Fats Waller before getting his big break with the Count Basie Orchestra when he was 22.
Love eventually became a bandleader himself, playing with Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, his friends Johnny Otis and Wynonie Harris, with whom he had several hits. In the early 1960s Love worked with Ray Charles in California, eventually becoming Motown's West Coast house bandleader. Love toured the U.S. and Europe quite frequently into the 1990s, additionally lecturing and writing about the history he was part of.[1] Other legends he played with included the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.
In his later years Love moved back to Omaha, wrote a book and was an advertising agent for the Omaha Star, a local newspaper serving the city's African American community. His daughter is Laura Love.[2] [3]
In February of 2004, Preston Love passed away after battling lung cancer.
[edit] Solo albums
- Preston Love's Omaha Bar-B-Q, released in 1969
- Omaha Blues', released in 2000
[edit] Books by Love
- A Thousand Honey Creeks Later: My Life in Music from Basie to Motown and Beyond. Wesleyan University Press, Hanover NH, 1997.
[edit] Awards
- 1975 First jazz artist-in-residence for the Iowa Arts Council.
- 1992 Received an honorary doctorate from Creighton University.
- 2003 At age 82, he was recognized by the Omaha Press Club as part of their "Face on the Barroom Floor" series that honors notable newsmakers.
- 2005 The non-profit Loves Jazz and Arts Center (LJAC) established.
- 2005 Inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.
[edit] References
- ^ (nd) Preston Love profile. Vibe.com. Retrieved 7/1/07.
- ^ McMahan, T. (2001) Sharing the Love: An interview with Omaha Jazz great Preston Love. Omaha Weekly. Retrieved 4/29/07.
- ^ Bristow, D. (n.d.) Swingin' with Preston Love. Nebraska Life.
- The Omaha Sunday World Herald: July 15, 1990, pp. F-1, F-3 and December 14, 1997, pp. E-1, E-8
- New York Times, April 5, 1998, Sec. 2, p. 28
- The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed, Vol 2 (2002) 628.
[edit] External links
- Interview with Preston Love, Iowa Public Television.
- Loves Jazz and Art Center, a memorial to Love.
- "700 Famous Nebraskans"
- Gage County Museum.
- Preston Love profile
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