Ben Kynard
Ben Kynard (February 28, 1920 – July 5, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist (alto and baritone). He was known through his collaboration with Lionel Hampton, as a composer and arranger.
Ben Kynard
- Name
- Ben Kynard
- Born
- 28 February 1920
- Birthplace
- Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- Died
- 5 July 2012
- Place of death
- Kansas City
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- composer · saxophonist · jazz musician · music arranger
- Fields
- jazz
- Education
- Sumner Academy of Arts & Science
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Ben Kynard (February 28, 1920 – July 5, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist (alto and baritone). He was known through his collaboration with Lionel Hampton, as a composer and arranger.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Ben Kynard. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- unresolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q816539 · wikipedia · Ben Kynard
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ben Kynard • Born — 28 February 1920 • Birthplace — Eureka Springs, Arkansas • Died — 5 July 2012 • Place of death — Kansas City • Genre — Jazz • Instrument — saxophone
Early life
Early life
Ben D. Kynard was born on February 28, 1920, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He learned how to play saxophone from his brother. He graduated in 1938 from Sumner High School in Kansas City, Kansas.
Career
Career
Kynard appeared in nightclubs as a youth. After completing military service in the U. S. Army, he played from 1946 to 1953 in the Lionel Hampton orchestra, for which he arranged, and in 1946 composed the title "Red Top". Hampton recorded the song for Decca in 1947 and was soon covered by Gene Ammons. However, Kynard did not get enough royalties. "Red Top" was later also recorded by musicians such as David Allen, Anthony Braxton, Dexter Gordon, Louis Jordan, Erroll Garner, Slide Hampton, Woody Herman and His Orchestra, King Pleasure / Betty Carter, and Eddie Vinson. After Kynard had left the Hampton band, he worked for 32 years at the United States Postal Service in Kansas City; he also played jazz in night clubs and wrote compositions for local musicians. Kynard worked from 1945 to 1984 at 51 recording sessions, with Willis Jackson, Sonny Parker, Joe Thomas and in 1948 Billie Holiday (I Cover the Waterfront).
Personal life
Personal life
Ben Kynard was an uncle of the organist Charles Kynard. He died on July 5, 2012, in Kansas City.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Eureka Springs.
Birth place
Kansas City.
Death place
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,438 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Ben KeithPerson
- Ben KingsleyPerson
- Ben KopecPerson
- Ben KwellerPerson
- Ben l'Oncle SoulPerson
- Ben LanzaronePerson
- Ben LeePerson
- Ben LiebrandPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Ben Kynard?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.