Sil Austin

Genres:	Blues • Pop / Rock • R&B / Soul
Descriptive "tags":	saxophone • jazz • instrumental • smooth jazz • sax • swingsation
Decades Active:	1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1990s • 2000s

Biography

Sylvester Austin, 17 September 1929, Dunnellon, Florida, USA. A quintessential R&B tenor saxophone ‘honker’, Austin started his career by winning a talent contest at Harlem’s Apollo theatre. He learned his craft in the big bands of Roy Eldridge and Cootie Williams. In 1956 he reached the Top 20 with ‘Slow Walk’ and had later hits with ‘Balin’ Wire’, ‘Birthday Party’ and ‘Shufflin’ Home’, irresistible slices of high-energy R&B. Later on, Austin recorded for Shelby Singleton’s SSS label.

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