Emmett Berry

Biography

23 July 1915, Macon, Georgia, USA. In 1933, within a year of his first professional job, Berry was in New York and playing trumpet with leading bands of the day. In 1936 he joined Fletcher Henderson’s band, replacing Roy Eldridge. He remained with Henderson for three years, moving on to the band led by Fletcher’s brother, Horace. In the early 40s Berry was with Teddy Wilson’s elegant sextet and also worked with Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, John Kirby and Roy Eldridge’s Little Jazz Trumpet Ensemble. Most of the second half of the decade was spent with Count Basie. In the 50s he played with Jimmy Rushing, Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams and Sammy Price, recording extensively. In the 60s he settled in Los Angeles but was soon back on the road again with Peanuts Hucko and Wilbur De Paris. A masterly player, Berry’s solos were always immaculately conceived and executed with fire and passion. Retired since 1970, he left his distinctive mark on...

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