Off the Shelf: Boots Randolph

I was delighted with my random shelf pick this week!  Saxophone extraordinaire, native of Paducah, KY, icon of the "Nashville sound": Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III.  (I researched the "Nashville sound" and it refers more to an era-late 1950s to 1960s-and style of music than an actual sound, but the impression that I get is that it is a sort of country/pop music blend with a touch of Dixieland jazz and a generous dash of honky-tonk swing.) 

Boots' most famous tune is Yakety Sax, a catchy little tune that he wrote with James Q. "Spider" Rich.  The song is original material, with blends of fiddle reels woven in.  It's sometimes referred to as "The Benny Hill Song," because it was popularly used by the Benny Hill show during funny chase scenes.  It was the success of Yakety Sax, actually, that took Boots "out of the hills of Kentucky and put me in the hills of Tennessee" (to use his words).  It's also one of the first solo sax tunes that really captivated me as a young Music Zombie.  I managed to track down the sheet music in high school and performed it for a talent show.  I played it well enough, and I'm sure that I can play it better now, but I will have to work on it a bit more to make it sound anywhere close to Boots' version. 

Boots learned a variety of instruments as a kid before settling on the tenor saxophone at age 16.  He went on to play with the U. S. Army Band until 1946, after which he decided to put his playing to professional use.  He was the first ever saxophonist to play on an Elvis Presley record, and the only saxist to solo with him.  He enjoyed a busy career as soloist and session musician in Nashville (and all over the country), then decided to open his own dinner club in 1977.  It ran for a successful 17 years. 

The disc I pulled off the shelf is another cheap reproduction, opening with Boots' Yakety Sax, but also includes some nice renditions of King of the Road, Stardust, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and a charming two-beat tune called Mountain Minuet.  He really could make the horn sing.