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Ben F. Branch (1924 – August 27, 1987) was an American entrepreneur, jazz tenor saxophonist, and bandleader. Although possibly better known as being one of the last people Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to moments before his assassination in 1968,〔"Ben Branch, 59, musician and civil rights activist, died Thursday 27 in Provident Medical Center after suffering a stroke. Mr. Branch, a South Side resident, was the last person to whom Martin Luther King Jr. spoke moments before his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. King asked Mr. Branch, a saxophonist, to play his favorite gospel song, 'Precious Lord,' at a rally later that night." ''Chicago Sun-Times'', August 28, 1987.〕 Branch had been a leading bandleader for many years. ==Musical career== With his brother, Thomas, on trumpet, Branch was a member of the horn section on B.B. King's first recordings for Bullet Records in 1949. "My very first recordings were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company," King recalls. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player."〔(''Blues Access'' Interview by Wayne Robins (Spring 1999) – Accessed January 23, 2009. )〕 Branch recorded with King again on an early 1952 Memphis recording with the B.B. King Orchestra with, among others, Hank Crawford and Ike Turner. For much of the 1950s, Branch was the bandleader for the houseband, The Largos, at Curry's Club in North Memphis, which occasioned a young Isaac Hayes his first professional gigs.〔(The Memphis Sound: Lost and Found )〕〔(Bowman, Rob ''Soulsville, U.S.A.: the story of Stax Records'' Music Sales Group, 2003 ISBN 0-8256-7284-8, ISBN 978-0-8256-7284-2 ) at Google Books〕 Future M.G. bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn was the first white member of Branch's big band in the early 1960s.〔(ejazznews.com )〕 In 1982 Branch founded the American Music Hall of Fame, a private music school in Chicago. A few months before his death Branch appeared with his band at the 1987 Chicago Blues Festival backing Rosco Gordon.〔(June 7, 1987 "Rosco Gordon with the Ben Branch Band" City of Chicago Official Tourism Site )〕 Branch also recorded with Brother Jack McDuff and Etta James, Little Milton and Phil Upchurch. Branch held a degree in music from Memphis State University. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ben Branch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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