Biography
Though Dan Minor held the spotlight only briefly as lead trombonist in Count Basie’s Orchestra before stronger players eclipsed him, that short stretch remains the chapter for which he is still chiefly remembered. He launched his professional career in 1926 alongside the Blue Moon Chasers in Dallas. Throughout the Midwest he performed with Walter Page’s Blue Devils from 1927 to 1929, Ben Smith’s Blue Syncopators, Earl Dykes, Gene Coy’s Black Aces, Lloyd Hunter’s Serenaders, Alphonso Trent in 1931, and Bennie Moten’s final orchestra from 1931 to 1934. In 1936 Minor entered Basie’s Kansas City big band and remained five years, witnessing the ensemble’s rise in New York, yet he received limited exposure once Benny Morton, Dicky Wells, and Vic Dickenson joined the trombone section at different times. After departing Basie he worked with Buddy Johnson’s orchestra from 1941 to 1944, Mercer Ellington, Lucky Millinder, and Willie Bryant in 1946. When the swing era closed, Minor stepped away from full-time performance while continuing to play occasionally for the rest of his life. Besides his work with Basie he recorded with Walter Page in 1929, Bennie Moten—including the classic 1932 session—Sidney Bechet in 1938, and Buddy Johnson, although he never led a session under his own name.
Albums
