Ben Branch

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Ben Branch
Born(1928-01-08)January 8, 1928
DiedAugust 27, 1987(1987-08-27) (aged 59)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSaxophone

Ben F. Branch (January 8, 1928 – August 27, 1987) [1] [2] was an American entrepreneur, jazz tenor saxophonist, and bandleader.

Contents

Although known as the last person Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to moments before his assassination in 1968, [3] Branch had been a jazz bandleader for many years.

Musical career

With his brother, Thomas, on trumpet, Branch was a member of the horn section on B.B. King's first recordings for Bullet Records in 1949. "My very first recordings were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company," King recalls. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player." [4]

Branch recorded with King again on an early 1952 Memphis recording with the B.B. King Orchestra with, among others, Hank Crawford and Ike Turner.

For much of the 1950s, Branch was the bandleader for the house band, the Largos, at Curry's Club in North Memphis, which provided a young Isaac Hayes with his first professional gigs. [5] [6]

Future M.G.'s bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn was the first white member of Branch's big band, in the early 1960s.

In 1982, Branch founded the American Music Hall of Fame, a private music school in Chicago.

A few months before his death, Branch appeared with his band at the 1987 Chicago Blues Festival backing Rosco Gordon. [7]

Branch also recorded with Brother Jack McDuff and Etta James, Little Milton, and Phil Upchurch.

Branch held a degree in music from Tennessee State University. [1]

Business career

Branch was president of Doctor Branch Products Inc., founded in 1983, in Chicago, Illinois, the nation's only black-owned soft-drink manufacturing company. The company eventually signed a $355 million agreement with Kemmerer Bottling Group, bottler of several well-known soft drinks, including 7Up, to distribute the Doctor Branch Products beverages. [8] [9]

Operation Breadbasket

As musical director for the SCLC's Operation Breadbasket, he led the Breadbasket Orchestra and Choir that performed benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Operation/PUSH. Just moments before being assassinated, Dr. King had just asked Branch to play a Negro spiritual, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," at a rally that was to have been held two hours later. [10] King's exact words (which were also the last words that he ever spoke) were "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty." [11]

Cannonball Adderley, in the introduction to the title track of his 1969 album Country Preacher , makes a specific mention of Branch in recognition of his work as leader of the Operation Breadbasket Orchestra and Choir. [12]

While musical director of the Breadbasket Orchestra and Operation/PUSH, he arranged for gospel singer Deleon Richards to perform at the Chicago Stadium (later the United Center). [13]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam & Dave</span> American soul and R&B duo

Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (1935–2025) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988).

The story of Tennessee's contribution to American music is essentially the story of three cities: Nashville, Memphis, and Bristol. While Nashville is most famous for its status as the long-time capital of country music, Bristol is recognized as the "Birthplace of Country Music". Memphis musicians have had an enormous influence on blues, early rock and roll, R&B, and soul music, as well as an increasing presence in rap.

The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1987, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Memphis soul, also known as the Memphis sound, is the most prominent strain of Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, guitar, bass, and a driving beat on the drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert King</span> American blues musician (1923–1992)

Albert Nelson, known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and influential album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) and its title track. He, B. B. King, and Freddie King, all unrelated, were known as the "Three Kings of the Blues". The left-handed Albert King was known for his "deep, dramatic sound that was widely imitated by both blues and rock guitarists".

"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a gospel song. The lyrics were written by Thomas A. Dorsey, who also adapted the melody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bell (singer)</span> American soul singer and songwriter

William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter. As a performer, he is best known for his debut single, 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water"; 1968's top 10 hit in the UK "Private Number", a duet with Judy Clay; and his only US top 40 hit, 1976's "Tryin' to Love Two", which also hit No. 1 on the R&B chart. Upon the death of Otis Redding, Bell released the well-received memorial song "A Tribute to a King".

Operation Breadbasket was an organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of black communities across the United States. Operation Breadbasket was launched on February 11, 1966, under the leadership of Jesse Jackson. Its primary objective was to promote the employment of African Americans by companies operating in black communities and support the growth of black-owned businesses. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described the core principle of Breadbasket as the belief that African Americans should not support businesses that denied them job opportunities, career advancement, or basic courtesy. To achieve their goals, the activists of Operation Breadbasket adopted a strategy called "selective patronage." They focused their initial campaign on dairy companies and supermarket chains. They organized pickets and encouraged boycotts of stores that carried products from the targeted companies, aiming to pressure them into improving their employment practices and support for the black community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Cauley</span> American musician (1947–2015)

Ben S. Cauley Jr. was an American trumpet player, vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the Stax recording group the Bar-Kays. He was the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the lives of soul singer Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays.

<i>Country Preacher</i> 1969 live album by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet

Country Preacher is a live album recorded by the Cannonball Adderley Quintet in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlem Gospel Choir</span> American gospel choir

The Harlem Gospel Choir is an American gospel choir based in Harlem, New York. It is one of the United States's most prominent gospel choirs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Earl Ray</span> Convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. (1928–1998)

James Earl Ray was an American fugitive who was convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. After the assassination, Ray fled to London and was captured there. Ray was convicted in 1969 after entering a guilty plea—thus forgoing a jury trial and the possibility of a death sentence—and was sentenced to 99 years of imprisonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.</span> 1968 murder in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m at age 39. He was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested on June 8, 1968, at London's Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States and charged with the crime. On March 10, 1969, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary. He later made many attempts to withdraw his guilty plea and to be tried by a jury, but was unsuccessful. Ray died in prison in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Jackson (musician)</span> US-American trumpeter, arranger and songwriter (1941-2016)

Wayne Lamar Jackson was an American soul and R&B musician, playing the trumpet in The Mar-Keys, in the house band at Stax Records and later as one of The Memphis Horns, described as "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.</span> Funeral following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The first memorial service following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, took place the following day at the R.S. Lewis Funeral Home in Memphis, Tennessee. This was followed by two funeral services on April 9, 1968, in Atlanta, Georgia, the first held for family and close friends at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King and his father had both served as senior pastors, followed by a three-mile procession to Morehouse College, King's alma mater, for a public service.

Andrew Love was an American saxophone player based in Memphis, Tennessee, best known for being a member of The Memphis Horns.

Richard "Tuff" Green was an American jazz and R&B bassist and bandleader.

Floyd Newman was an American saxophonist, session musician and bandleader. As a baritone sax player, he was long associated with Stax Records, and as a member of The Mar-Keys’ horn section and the Memphis Horns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Jr. assassination conspiracy theories</span>

Conspiracy theories about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader of the civil rights movement, relate to different accounts of the incident that took place on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, the day after giving his final speech "I've Been to the Mountaintop". Claims soon arose over suspect aspects of King's assassination and the controversial role of the assassin, James Earl Ray. Although his guilty plea eliminated the possibility of a trial before a jury, within days, Ray had recanted and claimed his confession was forced. Suspicions were further raised by the confirmation of illegal surveillance of King by the FBI and the CIA, and the FBI's attempt to allegedly prompt King to commit suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bettye Crutcher</span> American songwriter (1939–2022)

Bettye Jean Crutcher was an American songwriter. She was a staff writer for Stax Records. Crutcher teamed with Homer Banks and Raymond Jackson as We Three, and co-wrote "Who's Making Love" for Johnnie Taylor, which earned a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. Crutcher also wrote music for the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave, and Albert King.

References

  1. 1 2 Ben Branch, 59, Leader in Civil Rights, Business, Chicago Tribune , August 28, 1987
  2. ↑ "FamilySearch". Familysearch.org. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Ben Branch, 59, musician and civil rights activist, died Thursday 27 in Provident Medical Center after suffering a stroke. Mr. Branch, a South Side resident, was the last person to whom Martin Luther King Jr. spoke moments before his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. King asked Mr. Branch, a saxophonist, to play his favorite gospel song, 'Precious Lord,' at a rally later that night." Chicago Sun-Times, August 28, 1987.
  4. ↑ "Blues Access: B.B. King Interview". Bluesaccess.com. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Blogger". Accounts.google.com. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Bowman, Rob (10 May 1997). Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. Schirmer Books. ISBN   9780825672842 . Retrieved 10 May 2021– via Google Books.
  7. ↑ June 7, 1987 "Rosco Gordon with the Ben Branch Band" City of Chicago Official Tourism Site Archived March 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Post-Tribune (IN), August 29, 1987.
  9. ↑ "Rites Held In Chicago For Ben F. Branch, 59". Jet. September 14, 1987.
  10. ↑ "The Learning Network". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  11. ↑ Branch, Taylor (2007). At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68. New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 766. ISBN   978-0684857138.
  12. ↑ Thomas, Lorenzo & Lynn Nielsen, Aldon Don't Deny My Name: words and music and the black intellectual tradition, University of Michigan Press, 2008 ISBN   9780472068920
  13. ↑ Gospel Singer DeLeon Reflects on 'Here In Me' Archived 2018-03-01 at the Wayback Machine December 2, 2008 Chicago Defender Online
  14. ↑ "Atlantic Records Discography: 1964". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.