Big Jay McNeely

Big Jay McNeely (born Cecil James McNeely in 1927 in Los Angeles, California; died 2018 in Moreno Valley, California) was a primary architect of the post-war "honking" tenor saxophone style. Coming of age in the vibrant Central Avenue jazz and R&B scene, McNeely abandoned polite jazz phrasing for raw, aggressive, single-note shrieks and a fiercely rhythmic attack. Recording initially for Savoy Records (where he scored a number-one R&B hit with "The Deacon's Hop" in 1949) his style bridged the gap between jump blues and the imminent explosion of rock and roll. McNeely was equally famous for his flamboyant stage presence; he regularly played on his back, crawled across stages, and walked out into the street while blowing his horn.