Posted on 07/03/2007 1:20:23 PM PDT by lunarbicep
Boots Randolph, whose spirited saxophone playing on songs like "Yakety Sax" made him one of Nashville's top musicians, died Tuesday. He was 80.
Randolph suffered a cerebral hemorrhage June 25 and had been hospitalized in a coma. He was taken off a respirator earlier Tuesday, said Betty Hofer, a publicist and spokeswoman for the family.
Randolph played regularly in Nashville nightclubs for 30 years, becoming a tourist draw for the city much like Wayne Newton in Las Vegas and Pete Fountain in New Orleans.
He recorded more than 40 albums and spent 15 years touring with the Festival of Music, teaming with fellow instrumentalists Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer.
As a session musician, he played on Elvis Presley's "Return to Sender," Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Round the Christmas Tree" and "I'm Sorry," REO Speedwagon's "Little Queenie," Al Hirt's "Java" and other songs including ones by Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash.
In 1963 he had his biggest solo hit, "Yakety Sax," which he wrote
That just leaves one great rock’n’roll saxman alive and playing - Bobby Keys.
Boots Randolph has always been one of our family’s favorite artists, he brought a sense of joy and fun to everything he did, and my late Dad, who never danced a day in his life (to my knowledge), when he heard Boots ‘Yakety Sax’, that’s as close as I ever saw him get, Dad got rhythm, and Boots’ music could wake it up.
The Lord be with him and the Randolph family.
Thanks Boots!
AND A BLOOD RELATIVE OF MINE. HIS DAD WAS HOMER RANDOLPH. HE AND JOE HUNTER WOULD DRAG THEIR TRIBES AROUND TO SCHOOLS ON THE WEEKEND AND MAKE MUSIC. ANY OF THEM COULD PLAY ABOUT ANYTHING THEY COULD PICK UP. BORN AND RAISED ON DONALDSON CREEK SOUTH AND WEST OF CADIZ KY. PRETTY DAMN GOOD FOLKS. HEAVEN’S ROCKIN’ TONIGHT!
Homer Louis (Boots) Randolph, born Jun 3, 1927, married Delores Baker, two children
Rest in peace to my fellow Nashvillian.
Man oh man, I really like sax music the way he played it.
Randolph was one of my favorite artists growing up. He had the talent for doing frenetic fast-paced sax solos such as “Yakkety Sax” but also sensual tunes like “Love Is Blue” and “Theme From ‘Love Story’”. His renditions of some tunes were more enjoyable than the actual pop versions. He was a regular at studio work in Nashville backing up other artists for many, many years.
When we moved to Colorado in the late 1960s, the house had an early home intercom system complete with a cassette player. Since we had no cassettes (we had stereo records for home and 8-tracks in the cars), Dad went out to buy some cassettes. The bag he came back with included “The Fantastic Boots Randolph” and I was hooked. What amazing versatility.
In the internet age, all sorts of information springs up you’ve never considered before. So I searched for Boots a few years ago and found a website where he was selling his albums. I sent him an e-mail and he kindly replied a few days later signed “Your Sax Friend, Boots Randolph”.
I’ve transfered some of my Boots albums to CD since so little of his work is available in that medium. My first project was (of course) “The Fantastic Boots Randolph” which instantly takes me back to junior high days in Colorado.
It was wonderful music and I am sad he’s gone. My prayers to him and his family.
My condolences to his friends and family, a great musician; I heard the news via the True Oldies Radio Station; and these things sometimes happen around holidays.
As a point of information; why am I confused about who did the obviously famous piano instrumental of “Last Dance.”
One of the best. We lived through some of the best american music likely to ever be catalogued.
Sadly you are correct. Of my favorites, Boots, King Curtis and Bobby Keys, Only Bobby Keys is left. So long Boots. You were the pioneer who taught us all to play.
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