Yesterday, November 6, was National Saxophone Day. It is celebrated on November 6, on the birthday of Antoine-Joseph ‘Adolphe’ Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. This soulful instrument has a rich history and musical range. It was prominent in many rock and roll records in the early 50’s; it always seemed to be featured as a solo instrument in the Big Band songs of the 40’s; and what would Wham’s Careless Whisper be with out the sax?

Maybe it is the “band geek” in me, but I love cool instrumentals. Today’s Tune Tuesday song features a fantastic saxophone player and basically one big sax solo. The song is called Hand Clappin’ by Red Prysock.

Red was born in 1926. He served in the US Army in World War II, where he learned how to play the saxophone. According to Wikipedia, he gained recognition by playing lead saxophone in Tiny Bradshaw’s band in 1952. He went on to lead his own band and in 1954 signed with Mercury Records. It was there that he had his biggest hit, our featured song, in 1955. That same year, he joined a band that played at DJ Alan Freed’s (the man who coined the phrase “Rock and Roll”) stage shows.

Speaking of “DJ’s,” many used Hand Clappin’ as their “Theme Song” throughout the 50’s and early 60’s. It is definitely what Jerry Lewis’s Nutty Professor character would call a “toe tapper.”

My dad is the one who introduced me to this one. We were out with my grandma one day garage sailing. My dad found the Mercury 45 in a bin of records and was amazed to have found it. He was so excited about it. We went home and he immediately put it on the turntable. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before. Give it a listen and let me know your thoughts.