Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins, Walter Theodore Rollins, Newk
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Who is this?
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (September 7, 1930 – May 25, 2026) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded more than 60 albums as a leader. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus was selected for preservation by the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2016. A number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", and "Airegin", have become jazz standards. Rollins was often called "the greatest living improviser". Rollins was the last survivor of the 57 jazz musicians depicted in the 1958 photograph A Great Day in Harlem. Throughout his career, Rollins was nicknamed the "saxophone colossus". He was awarded a lifetime Grammy Award and was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2011. He was credited as a defining figure of the jazz genre.
Career
- 1930Born
- 2004Won Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2010Won National Medal of Arts
- 2026Passed away
- Member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member of Sonny Rollins Quartet
- Won Paul Acket Award
- Won Kennedy Center Honors
- Won Guggenheim Fellowship
Trivia
- •Place of birth: Harlem
- •Citizenship: United States
- •Known as: composer, bandleader, conductor, jazz saxophonist
- •Genre: jazz, post-bop
- •Plays: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
What happened recently
Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Remembered Through Words Of Stamford Friend Musical Partner
The Saxophone Colossus: Why Sonny Rollins' Music Is Medicine Brandon Marsh (zqd8IybAYT)
Sonny Rollins Remembered, Peter Sellers Brings Beautiful Disaster to The Party, and Maybe Pedro Should Have Kept the Helmet On: Editor's RoundUp
Sony Lorins Not to match the other party, but to be yourself. Croydon Facial Reco】tion Arrests
Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music: Musical moments from the late Sonny Rollins plus new music from Dames Brown, Sir Paul McCartney, Infinity Song + more!
On Repeat with Dino Corvino: For Sonny Rollins, a playlist of reverence and gratitude - Wausau Pilot & Review
On The “Sonny” Side of Harlem, The Sonny Rollins Story - Friday at 1pm and 9pm and Saturday night at 6 on WZUM.
Sonny Rollins proved jazz greatness did not require dying young
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