Lynn Hope

Tenor saxophonist Lynn Hope was noted for his apparel and instrumental remakes of established pre-rock pop anthems. Hope joined King Kolax's band when he graduated from high school in Birmingham during the '40s. He later converted to Islam, and became noted for wearing a turban, though few ever called him Al Hajji Abdullah Rascheed Ahmed. Hope signed with Miracle in 1950, but the contract proved invalid. He moved to Premium, where he cut "Tenderly," a song that was later picked up by Chess. Hope recorded often for Aladdin between 1951 and 1957, doing such reworked standards as "September Song" and "Summertime." While these numbers were often performed with little or no melodic embellishment or improvisation, the flip sides were often fierce uptempo blues or jump tunes. "Tenderly" earned Hope his only hit in 1950, reaching number eight R&B and #19 pop. He made his last sessions for King in 1960, then dropped out of sight. ~ Ron Wynn