Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 1987) was an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.
Biography
Harold Vick was born on April 3, 1936, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At the age of 13, he was given a clarinet by his uncle, Prince Robinson,[1] a clarinet and tenor saxophone player who had been a member of McKinney's Cotton Pickers.[2] Three years later he took up the tenor saxophone, and soon began playing in R&B bands.[3] He continued to perform, still largely with R&B bands, while studying psychology at Howard University.[1]
After a heart attack in the mid-1970s, Vick largely returned to soul jazz, working with Shirley Scott from 1974 to 1976 and with Jimmy McGriff from 1980 to 1981. At the same time he continued to work as a freelance jazz musician and session musician.[1] As late as 1987 he performed on two Billie Holiday tribute albums by Abbey Lincoln.[3]
During the 1960s, Vick worked as a member of the house band at the Apollo Theater, and in 1969 he toured Europe with the Negro Ensemble Company.[1] He also played for a number of stage productions during the 1980s.[4]
He appeared in the films Stardust Memories (1981) and The Cotton Club (1984), in which he played a musician. He was also cast for the Spike Lee film School Daze (1988), and undertook work for the soundtracks for a number of other films.[3][4]
Death
Vick died at his Manhattan home of another heart attack[4] on November 13, 1987.[1] He was memorialized in the tune "Did You See Harold Vick?", which Sonny Rollins wrote and featured on his album This Is What I Do (2000).[5]
