Bobby Tucker (January 8, 1923 – April 12, 2008) was a pianist and arranger during the jazz era from the 1940s into the 1960s.
Beginning in 1949, Tucker embarked on a lifetime collaboration as accompanist and musical director for the great African American balladeer and recording artist Billy "Mr. B" Eckstine. After leading a highly-acclaimed band from 1944-1947, Eckstine returned to a career as a solo singer, becoming the country's most popular vocalist in 1949-1950 and signing a lucrative five-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Incorporated (MGM). Although his popularity waned after 1951, he continued to play in major nightclubs in the United States and abroad for the next several decades and to release several popular albums. Whilst with Eckstine Bobby Tucker recorded with Billie Holiday one last time in September 1954. He also released his own album in 1959 for Jamie Records under his own name, Too Tough.
As his piano accompanist for over forty years, Tucker helped build and sustain the singer's career, reinventing Eckstine as the nation's musical tastes changed, and the music industry evolved.
During his stint with Eckstine, Tucker worked on concerts—planning, arranging music, transcribing, and transposing works for performances; on recordings—preparing written arrangements, working integrally with recording companies. Engagements included recordings and performances with the Count Basie Orchestra; recordings under the direction of Quincy Jones; performances in Las Vegas; and band tours of Europe, Australia, and Japan.
In 1973 Tucker played for Billy Eckstine at the Hobart (Tasmania, Australia) Wrest Point Casino. From the time Tuck, as "Mr. B" called him, met Eckstine, they were very good friends till Eckstine's death in 1993. Eckstine called Tucker a brother he never had; as he would say, Tuck was his right tonsil. Tucker was more like part of the Eckstine family.
Tucker was a renowned piano accompanist, and while working for Eckstine he was eagerly sought out by other singers, including Johnny Hartman, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan and Antonio Carlos Jobim.. He also collaborated with other jazz accompanists such as Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Rowles, and John Malachi. In his autobiography, Quincy Jones says that Tucker inspired him to begin studying music after they met in Seattle, while Jones was touring with Billie Holiday. Jones attributed all of the success he garnered in his career to the core skills he developed as a result of Tucker's inspiration. Tucker worked with Jones to arrange and conduct the music for the 1978 film The Wiz, which received an Academy Award nomination for best original music score.
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| Bobby Tucker with Len Skeat U.K. 1980 |
Tucker died of a heart attack at the age of 85, in Morristown, New Jersey on April 12, 2008 (aged 85).
(Edited from the Smithsonian Institution & Wikipedia)