Preston Love

Infobox musical artist
Name = Preston Love


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Birth_name = Preston Love
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Born = April 26, 1921
Died = February 12, 2004
Origin = Omaha, Nebraska U.S.
Instrument = Alto saxophone
Genre = Jazz
Occupation = Band leader, musician, songwriter
Years_active = 1936 - 2004
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Associated_acts = Nat Towles, Lloyd Hunter, Snub Mosely, Lucky Millinder, Fats Waller, Count Basie Orchestra, Lena Horne, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin

Preston Love (1921-2004) was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.

Biography

Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High.

He became renowned as a professional sideman and saxophone balladeer in the heyday of the big band era. He was a member of the bands of Nat Towles, Lloyd Hunter, Snub Mosely, Lucky Millinder and Fats Waller before getting his big break with the Count Basie Orchestra when he was 22.

Love eventually became a bandleader himself, playing with Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, his friends Johnny Otis and Wynonie Harris, with whom he had several hits. In the early 1960s Love worked with Ray Charles in California, eventually becoming Motown's West Coast house bandleader. Love toured the U.S. and Europe quite frequently into the 1990s, additionally lecturing and writing about the history he was part of. [(nd) [http://www.vibe.com/music/search/artist.html?id=UCAgICAxOTAyNQ= Preston Love profile] . Vibe.com. Retrieved 7/1/07.] Other legends he played with included the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

In his later years Love moved back to Omaha, wrote a book and was an advertising agent for the "Omaha Star", a local newspaper serving the city's African American community. His daughter is Laura Love. [McMahan, T. (2001) [http://www.timmcmahan.com/prestonlove.htm Sharing the Love: An interview with Omaha Jazz great Preston Love] . "Omaha Weekly." Retrieved 4/29/07.] [Bristow, D. (n.d.) [http://www.nebraskalife.com/PrestonLove.asp Swingin' with Preston Love] . "Nebraska Life."]

In February 2004, Preston Love passed away after battling lung cancer.

olo albums

*"Preston Love's Omaha Bar-B-Q", released in 1969
*"Omaha Blues"', released in 2000

Books by Love

*"A Thousand Honey Creeks Later: My Life in Music from Basie to Motown and Beyond." Wesleyan University Press, Hanover NH, 1997.

Awards

*1975 First jazz artist-in-residence for the Iowa Arts Council.
*1992 Received an honorary doctorate from Creighton University.
*2003 At age 82, he was recognized by the Omaha Press Club as part of their "Face on the Barroom Floor" series that honors notable newsmakers.
*2005 The non-profit Loves Jazz and Arts Center (LJAC) established.
*2005 Inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.

References

*The Omaha Sunday World Herald: July 15, 1990, pp. F-1, F-3 and December 14, 1997, pp. E-1, E-8
*New York Times, April 5, 1998, Sec. 2, p. 28
*The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed, Vol 2 (2002) 628.

External links

* [http://www.iptv.org/jazz/love.cfm Interview with Preston Love] , Iowa Public Television.
* [http://www.lovesjazzartcenter.org/ Loves Jazz and Art Center] , a memorial to Love.
* [http://nsea.org/700famous.htm "700 Famous Nebraskans"]
* [http://www.beatricene.com/gagecountymuseum Gage County Museum] .
* [http://nsea.org/news/LoveProfile.htm Preston Love profile]