ABBA

He is a trumpeter born Eugene Edward Young in Dayton, Ohio, who began playing when he and his brother, Granville, were taught by the trumpeter Ed Saunders from McKinney's Cotton Pickers when he was around 6 years old. He became known as "Snooky" from a very young age and performed in The Young Snappy Six with his parents and sister and together they toured with their show The Brown Skin Models. He was in a territory band led by Clarence "Chic" Carter with Gerald Wilson while a teenager and by the time he was 19 he was the lead trumpet for the Jimmie Lunceford band and the solo trumpet in the movie "Blues in the Night" in 1941 although it was Jack Carson that was seen playing the role on screen. In 1942 he became a member of Count Basie's band for a short period before moving on to play with Gerald Wilson's band and Lionel Hampton's band. In 1945 he went back to Count Basie's band and this time stayed with them for around 2 years until 1947 when he ventured out to lead his own band in Dayton, Ohio, which he did for the next decade. He returned once more to Count Basie's band in 1957 and this time stayed with them until 1962. From then he became a studio musician for NBC in New York, which included him being a member of the Tonight Show Orchestra. He also co-founded the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966, worked regularly with Ray Bryant and Marshal Royal and was a busy session musician. In 1971 he performed live with The Band on New Year's Eve and the following year he moved to Los Angeles with The Tonight Show Orchestra, staying with them until 1992 when they disbanded after Johnny Carson left the show. Remaining busy until he was at least 80 years old, he was constantly making appearances with big bands such as the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and the Steve Allen Big Band as well as appearing as a session musician on countless albums and doing research for the movie The Color Purple. His recording career saw him releasing only three of his own albums with just Horn of Plenty showing him as the main artist. The other two are Snooky & Marshal's Album and Boys from Dayton. Albums by other artists he has appeared on over the years total over 600 at least and include Very Best Of... by Ashford & Simpson, Rock of Ages, Vol. 1 by The Band, Cute by Count Basie, Young Tony by Tony Bennett, Compact Jazz by George Benson, Together Again...Live by Bobby Bland and B.B. King, Home in Your Heart by Solomon Burke, Crossroads by Tracy Chapman, Blues + Jazz by Ray Charles, Big band Cole by Nat King Cole, Everything Must Change by Randy Crawford, In My Lifetime by Neil Diamond, Love Songs by Duke Ellington, Live & In Concert by The Four Tops, Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings by Aretha Franklin, The Gap Band, Flyin' Home by Lionel Hampton, Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini by Quincy Jones, 1941-1945 by Jimmie Lunceford, Vocalese by The Manhattan Transfer, Man & His Music by Claus Ogerman, Bursting out with the All-Star Big Band!/Swinging Brass with Oscar Peterson, Best of..(1962-1970) by Esther Philips, Best Disco in Town by The Ritchie Family, New Fantasy by Lalo Schifrin, Tonight Show Band Vol. 1 by Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band, L.A. is My Lady by Frank Sinatra, Stay Loose by Jimmy Smith, Can't Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan, Fujitsu-Concord Festival by Mel Torme, Legendary Zing Album by The Trammps. Joyride by Stanley Turrentine, Music for Lovers by Sarah Vaughan, Wise Woman Blues by Dinah Washington, Inner City Blues by Grover Washington Jr. and the soundtracks of Hoodlum and League of Their Own.

The Gap Band recordings

Baby Baba Boogie (Lonnie Simmons/Charlie Wilson)

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