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
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q816539 · wikipedia · Ben Kynard
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
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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
Documentary record
Ben Kynard was a jazz musician, saxophonist, composer and arranger, born in 1920 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. and died in 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. Both events are recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
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
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ben Kynard, revision 1364397838 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ammons gab sich auf der 78er (Mercury 8048) ebenfalls als Autor aus.
- 2.Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Red Top). www.jazzstandards.com.
- 3.Tom Lord Discography.
- 4.Donald Clarke: Billie Holiday – Wishing on the Moon.
- 5.Information at Kynard.com
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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.
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