Biography
Big John Greer never matched the luminous renown achieved by fellow New York tenor saxophonists Sam "The Man" Taylor and King Curtis, yet he delivered robust blowing and extended vocal turns across an outstanding sequence of sides cut for RCA Victor and its Groove imprint between 1949 and 1955.
A boyhood friend of future King Records producer Henry Glover, Greer attended high school alongside him in Hot Springs before both advanced to Alabama A&M College. Glover advanced rapidly, serving as trumpeter and arranger for popular bandleader Lucky Millinder by 1948; when Millinder saxophonist Bull Moose Jackson departed the ensemble to focus on his rising solo path, Glover recruited his old associate Big John Greer to occupy the vacated chair. Greer's debut session as leader took place for Bob Shad's nascent Sittin' in With label, although the bulk of his recorded legacy resides in Victor's archives.
Having first waxed as a vocalist and saxophonist with Millinder's RCA unit, Greer remained with the company after Millinder switched allegiance to King in 1950. The arrangement proved advantageous, allowing Greer to unleash fiery tenor sax obbligatos behind King luminaries Wynonie Harris on "Mr. Blues Is Coming to Town" and "Bloodshot Eyes" as well as Bull Moose Jackson on the unabashedly suggestive "Nosey Joe." His most successful vocal outing arrived in 1952 via the polished blues ballad "Got You on My Mind" for RCA; the Howard Biggs–Joe Thomas song later drew interpretations from such varied artists as the Big Three Trio, Cookie & the Cupcakes, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Greer's RCA releases and subsequent Groove offerings from 1954 onward maintained unusually elevated quality even by the refined standards of the New York scene, yet further hits failed to materialize despite the clear commercial potential of "Bottle It Up and Go" and "Come Back Maybellene." Glover facilitated his move to King in 1955, but the single year spent there failed to reverse his declining fortunes. Alcohol appeared to erode Greer's professional opportunities, returning him to Hot Springs by 1957 where he performed solely as a local attraction. He passed away at age 48, remembered solely by the most committed R&B collectors.
A boyhood friend of future King Records producer Henry Glover, Greer attended high school alongside him in Hot Springs before both advanced to Alabama A&M College. Glover advanced rapidly, serving as trumpeter and arranger for popular bandleader Lucky Millinder by 1948; when Millinder saxophonist Bull Moose Jackson departed the ensemble to focus on his rising solo path, Glover recruited his old associate Big John Greer to occupy the vacated chair. Greer's debut session as leader took place for Bob Shad's nascent Sittin' in With label, although the bulk of his recorded legacy resides in Victor's archives.
Having first waxed as a vocalist and saxophonist with Millinder's RCA unit, Greer remained with the company after Millinder switched allegiance to King in 1950. The arrangement proved advantageous, allowing Greer to unleash fiery tenor sax obbligatos behind King luminaries Wynonie Harris on "Mr. Blues Is Coming to Town" and "Bloodshot Eyes" as well as Bull Moose Jackson on the unabashedly suggestive "Nosey Joe." His most successful vocal outing arrived in 1952 via the polished blues ballad "Got You on My Mind" for RCA; the Howard Biggs–Joe Thomas song later drew interpretations from such varied artists as the Big Three Trio, Cookie & the Cupcakes, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Greer's RCA releases and subsequent Groove offerings from 1954 onward maintained unusually elevated quality even by the refined standards of the New York scene, yet further hits failed to materialize despite the clear commercial potential of "Bottle It Up and Go" and "Come Back Maybellene." Glover facilitated his move to King in 1955, but the single year spent there failed to reverse his declining fortunes. Alcohol appeared to erode Greer's professional opportunities, returning him to Hot Springs by 1957 where he performed solely as a local attraction. He passed away at age 48, remembered solely by the most committed R&B collectors.
Singles
