Biography
Herschel Evans stood among the first “tough Texas tenors,” his robust tone offering an ideal foil to Lester Young’s cooler approach inside the Count Basie Orchestra. Early experience came in territory groups, notably Troy Floyd’s band from 1929 to 1931, where he made his initial recordings, and Benny Moten’s ensemble from 1933 to 1935. In 1936 he worked briefly with Lionel Hampton and Buck Clayton in Los Angeles before signing with Count Basie, arriving in time to share the orchestra’s breakthrough success and appear on numerous sessions; his best-known statement remains the 1938 ballad feature “Blue and Sentimental.” A heart ailment ended his life before he reached thirty.