Cecil Gant

Cecil Gant (April 4, 1913 - February 4, 1951[1]) was an American blues singer and pianist.

Biography

Gant was born in Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked as a musician from the mid-1930s until he joined the army at the start of World War II.[2] After performing at a War Bond rally in Los Angeles, California, he signed with the Gilt Edge record label. His recording of "I Wonder" (1944) was released under the name "Pvt. Cecil Gant."[2]

"I Wonder" sold well, and reached number one on the Billboard Harlem Hit Parade (the former name of the R&B chart). Gant toured as "The G.I. Sing-sation".[2] Gant also released material for King Records (1947), Bullet Records (1948–49), Downbeat/Swingtime (1949), and Imperial Records (1950).[1] His recording of "Nashville Jumps" opens the 2004 compilation Night Train to Nashville.

Gant died from pneumonia[3] in Nashville in 1951, at the age of 37. He is buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

Compilation albums

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Biography by Bill Dahl". Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 113. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  3. ↑ J C Marion, Cecil Gant : The Forgotten Pioneer , 1999. Retrieved 2 March 2013

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.