b. John Marshall Greer, 21 November 1923, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA, d. 12 May 1972. Greer, who performed both as a vocalist and a tenor saxophonist, is a perfect representative of the flowering of the saxophone in the post-World War II era as an R&B instrument. He first made his mark in the music business leading his own quintet in 1948 and made some favourably received recordings. In late 1948 he joined the Lucky Millinder Band, with whom he recorded as both a vocalist and sax soloist, but in April 1949 he was again making solo recordings for the RCA Records label. Over the following years he had releases both as a member of the Millinder band and as a solo artist. "Got You On My Mind" from 1952 was his only national R&B hit. RCA released him from his contract in 1955, and after a short stay at King Records in 1956, he never made another recording.

Listen to Big John Greer at Finetune.

• Bottle It Up and Go

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