Red Prysock

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Red Prysock

| image = (Portrait of Tiny Grimes, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948) (LOC) (5306976800).jpg

| caption = Red Prysock (foreground) playing with Tiny Grimes

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_name = Wilburt Prysock

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|2|2}}

| birth_place = Greensboro, North Carolina

| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|7|19 |1926|2|2 |mf=yes}}

| death_place = Chicago, Illinois

| genre = R&B

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Saxophone

| years_active = 1950s–1960s

| label = Mercury

}}

Wilburt "Red" Prysock (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 1993){{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-prysock-mn0000883582/biography|title=Red Prysock | Biography & History |website=AllMusic|accessdate=October 27, 2019}} was an American R&B tenor saxophonist,{{cite book |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2002|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-937-0|pages=343/4}} one of the early Coleman Hawkins-influenced saxophonists to move in the direction of rhythm and blues, rather than bebop.{{cite book | last=Komara | first=Edward | title=Encyclopedia of the blues | url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediablue00koma_006 | url-access=limited | publisher=Routledge | publication-place=New York | year=2006 | isbn=0-415-92699-8 | oclc=60590117 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediablue00koma_006/page/n851 787]–788}}

Career

With Tiny Grimes and his Rocking Highlanders, Prysock staged a saxophone battle with Benny Golson on "Battle of the Mass".{{cite web | last=Radio | first=NTS | title=Red Prysock | website=NTS Radio | date=June 16, 2014 | url=http://www.nts.live/artists/24200-red-prysock | access-date=February 7, 2019}} He first gained attention as a member of Tiny Bradshaw's band, playing the lead saxophone solo on his own "Soft", which was a hit for the Bradshaw band in 1952. Prysock also played with Roy Milton and Cootie Williams.

In 1954, he signed with Mercury Records as a bandleader and had his biggest hit, the instrumental "Hand Clappin'" in 1955. During the same year, he joined the band that played at Alan Freed's stage shows. He also played on several hit records by his brother, singer Arthur Prysock, in the 1960s.{{cite news| last=Leigh | first=Spencer | title=Obituary: Arthur Prysock | newspaper=The Independent| date=August 23, 1997 | url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-arthur-prysock-1246852.html | access-date=February 7, 2019}}

Personal life

Prysock was born in 1926 in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, and died of a heart attack in 1993 in Chicago, at the age of 67.{{Cite web|url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1992.html|title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 1992 - 1993|website=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com|accessdate=October 27, 2019}} He served in the United States Army during World War II, which was when he learned to play saxophone. He was buried at the Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina.{{Cite web|url=http://www.interment.net/data/us/nc/rowan/salisnat/salisbury_pq.htm|title=Salisbury National Cemetery - Surnames P-Q - Rowan County, North Carolina|website=Interment.net|accessdate=October 27, 2019}}