Ben Tucker


Benjamin M. Tucker was an American jazz bassist who appeared on hundreds of recordings. Tucker played on albums by Art Pepper, Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, Hank Crawford, Junior Mance, and Herbie Mann.
He was born in Tennessee. As bass player in the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, he wrote the instrumental version of the song "Comin' Home Baby!", first issued on the album Two Feet in the Gutter. Bob Dorough later wrote a lyric to the song, and the vocal version became a Top 40 hit for jazz singer Mel Tormé in 1962.
Tucker released the album Baby, You Should Know It with Victor Feldman, Larry Bunker, Bobby Thomas, Ray Crawford, Tommy Tedesco, and Carlos "Patato" Valdes.
By 1972, Tucker owned two radio stations, WSOK-AM, which had over 400,000 listeners, and WLVH-FM. Both of these were located in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. During the 1990s he owned a jazz bar in Savannah called Hard Hearted Hannah's.
He died in a traffic collision in Hutchinson Island, Georgia, on June 4, 2013.

Discography

Leader

Sweet Thunder
  • ''Baby, You Should Know It''

Sideman

With Mose AllisonThe Word from Mose
With Dave BaileyReaching Out Bash! 2 Feet in the Gutter
With Kenny BurrellOn View at the Five Spot Cafe Freedom Swingin'
With Eddie "Lockjaw" DavisLove Calls
With Lou DonaldsonGravy Train
With Teddy EdwardsSunset Eyes It's All Right!
With Gil EvansThe Individualism of Gil Evans
With Dexter GordonClubhouse
With Grant GreenGreen Street Sunday Mornin' Grantstand
With Chico HamiltonChico Hamilton Trio Introducing Freddie Gambrell
With Roland Hanna
With Willis JacksonGator's Groove
With Illinois JacquetThe Message Bottoms Up
With Quincy JonesQuincy's Got a Brand New Bag
With Clifford JordanSoul Fountain
With Yusef LateefThe Centaur and the Phoenix
With Junior ManceThe Soulful Piano of Junior Mance
With Herbie MannHerbie Mann at the Village Gate Herbie Mann Live at Newport Standing Ovation at Newport
With Warne Marsh
With Pat MartinoStrings! East!
With James MoodyThe Blues and Other Colors
With Gerry MulliganJeru
With Mark MurphyThat's How I Love the Blues!
With Oliver NelsonFantabulous
With Art PepperThe Art Pepper Quartet
With Lalo SchifrinSamba Para Dos with Bob Brookmeyer
With Bola SeteBossa Nova
With Jimmy SmithGot My Mojo Workin'
With Jeremy Steig
With Sonny StittSax Expressions
With Billy TaylorI Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free Sleeping Bee
With Harold Vick