20 Facts About Grant Green

Grant Green was an American jazz guitarist and composer.

Grant Green was born on June 6,1935, in St Louis, Missouri to John and Martha Green.

Grant Green began studying guitar while he was in primary school.

Grant Green received early instruction in guitar playing from his father, who played blues and folk music.

Grant Green studied for a year with Forrest Alcorn, but he was mostly self-taught, learning from listening to records.

Grant Green first performed in a professional setting at the age of 13 as a member of a gospel music ensemble.

Grant Green's influences were Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Jimmy Raney.

Grant Green's style mimicked that of a saxophonist playing single note rather than chords.

Grant Green recorded with Jones for several albums in the mid-1960s.

In 1959, Lou Donaldson discovered Grant Green playing in a bar in St Louis and hired him for his touring band.

From 1961 to 1965, Grant Green made more appearances on Blue Note albums as leader or sideman than anyone else.

Grant Green was named Best New Star in the Down Beat Critics' Poll, in 1962.

Grant Green often provided support to others musicians on Blue Note, including saxophonists Hank Mobley, Ike Quebec, Stanley Turrentine, and organist Larry Young.

Many of Grant Green's recordings were not released during his lifetime.

In 1966 Grant Green left Blue Note and recorded for other labels including Verve.

For most of 1978 Grant Green was in the hospital and against the advice of doctors, went back on the road to earn money.

Grant Green was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in his hometown of St Louis and was survived by six children, including his son Grant Green Jr.

The simplicity and immediacy of Grant Green's playing, which tended to avoid chromaticism, derived from his early work playing rhythm and blues and, although he achieved a synthesis of this style with bop, he was a skilled blues and funk guitarist and returned to this style in his later career.

Grant Green often performed in an organ trio, a small group featuring a Hammond organ and drummer.

Grant Green rarely played rhythm guitar except as a sideman on albums led by other musicians.