Rubin, Alan (11th February 1943-8th June 2011)

He was trumpeter and flugelhorn player born in Brooklyn, New York, who took his musical education on a scholarship at the Juilliard School of Music from the time he was seventeen.

In 1980 he took on the role of “Mr. Fabulous” in the movie The Blue Brothers and appeared in that same role in the sequel in 1998. He was also a member of the touring band with performers such as Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn.

He appeared regularly on Saturday Night Live from the mid 1970s as the original trumpeter with the house band as well as with Howard Shore & His Band of Angels and the Blues Brothers. During 1996 he made an appearance with the Late Night Band and Paul Shaffer at the Olympic Games’ Closing Ceremony.

An extremely prolific session musician for over four decades, the acts he has worked with during the course of his busy career are innumerable but a few of them include Aerosmith, The Alessi Brothers, Patti Austin, Gato Barbieri, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Luiz Bonfa, James Brown, Felix Cavaliere, Eric Clapton, Stanley Clarke, Miles Davis, Eumir Deodato, Dr. John, Donald Fagen, Georgie Fame, Maynard Ferguson, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Gaynor, J. Geils Band, Rupert Holmes, Cissy Houston, Peggy Lee, Lemon, Herbie Mann, The Manhattan Transfer, Meco, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Musique, Yoko Ono, Esther Phillips, Arthur Prysock, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Slave, Sting, Tina Turner, Bonnie Tyler, Jeff Tyzik, Michael Zager and Frank Zappa.

The countless recordings he featured on are far too numerous to mention but they include This is Jazz, Vol. 9 by George Benson, Briefcase Full of Blues by The Blues Brothers, Don’t Stop the Music by The Brecker Brothers, Off to See the Lizard by Jimmy Buffett (as a member of The Nuff Brothers), So Close by Dina Carroll, Intimate Ellington by Duke Ellington, Stars by Janis Ian, The Bridge by Billy Joel, King of Blues: 1989 by B.B. King, Morning Star by Hubert Laws, Shoogie Wanna Boogie by David Matthews & Whirlwind, Dead Ringer by Meat Loaf, Am I Not Your Girl? by Sinead O’Connor, Hello Big Man by Carly Simon, Graceland by Paul Simon, L.A. is My Lady by Frank Sinatra, Never Letting Go by Phoebe Snow, City Kids by Spyro Gyra, Ringo’s Rotogravure by Ringo Starr, Stuff It by Stuff, Walking Man by James Taylor, Closeup by Frankie Valli, Forever, For Always, For Love by Luther Vandross, All the King’s Horses by Grover Washington Jr. and the soundtracks of Beat Street Vol. 2, The Blues Brothers, Blues Brothers 2000, A Chorus Line, Footloose, The Great Outdoors, The Warriors and The Wiz.

He died in June 2011 from lung cancer in Manhattan, New York City at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He was 68 years old.

Sources:

Rubin, Alan (11th February 1943-8th June 2011)

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