Lloyd Glenn
Lloyd Colquitt Glenn, born on November 21, 1909, in San Antonio, Texas, was a pioneering American R&B pianist, bandleader, and arranger, renowned for his contributions to the "West Coast" blues style. Glenn began his musical career in the late 1920s, playing with various jazz bands in Texas. His first recording was with Don Albert's Orchestra in 1936. In 1941, he moved to California, where he joined the Walter Johnson trio and later worked as a session musician and arranger.
Glenn's significant career milestones include accompanying T-Bone Walker on the 1947 hit "Call It Stormy Monday" and making his first solo recordings that year as Lloyd Glenn and His Joymakers. By 1949, he had joined Swing Time Records as an A&R man, recording hits with Lowell Fulson, such as "Every Day I Have the Blues" and "Blue Shadows." Glenn also achieved success with his own R&B hits, including "Old Time Shuffle Blues" and "Chica Boo."
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Glenn continued to work as a session musician and recording artist, collaborating with notable artists like B.B. King, for whom he produced and played on the 1960 album "My Kind of Blues." He remained active in the music scene into the 1980s, performing at clubs in Los Angeles, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and touring with artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Big Joe Turner.
Lloyd Glenn passed away from a heart attack on May 23, 1985, in Los Angeles, California, leaving behind a legacy as a key figure in the development of West Coast blues.