Lyrics | Artists | Paul Gonsalves

Paul Gonsalves

Born in Brockton, Massachusetts on July 12, 1920, Paul Gonsalvez was a jazz tenor saxophonist who has been credited as reviving Duke Ellington’s career in the 1950s. As a young boy, Gonsalves focused his attention on the guitar, playing folks songs for his family. He switched to tenor saxophone before his military service during World War II. After the war, he spent two years with Count Basie (1947-1949) and then spent a year with Dizzy Gillespie before joining Duke Ellington’s band in 1950. In 1956, during Ellington’s performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival, it was Gonzalvez’s...