Biography
Grover Mitchell earned recognition as an emotionally resonant and distinctive trombonist through long stints alongside leading swing ensembles, and his warm, approachable sound carried clear traces of Tommy Dorsey’s style. Born in Whatley, Alabama, and raised in Pittsburgh, he relocated to the West Coast in the early 1960s. In 1961 he performed with Duke Ellington’s orchestra, then spent a short period with Lionel Hampton in 1962. Later that same year he entered Count Basie’s ranks, remaining until 1970. He returned to Basie in 1980 and continued with the band until Basie’s death in 1984. During the early 1970s Mitchell also began composing for television and motion pictures, among them the successful 1972 release Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross as Billie Holiday. From the 1970s onward he directed his own groups, among them a large ensemble that recorded for Jazz Chronicles and a Basie-styled orchestra whose sessions appeared on Stash throughout the latter half of the 1980s. Additional recordings were issued on the Ken label. Beginning in 1995 he assumed leadership of the Basie “ghost orchestra.” The mellow-toned trombonist succumbed to cancer on August 4, 2003.