Born in St. Louis, Missouri on January 24, 1920, Jimmy Forrest was a jazz tenor saxophonist. His best-known recording was “Night Train”, which reached Number 1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. In his early days, he played in different bands alongside pianists Fate Marable and Jay McShane, and saxophonist/tubist Andy Kirk before he joined Duke Ellington’s band. He released the single “Night Train” in 1951, which became a Number 1 hit. He followed that up with two more successful singles in 1952: “Hey Mrs. Jones” and “Bolo Blues”. In 1952, he performed live with Miles Davis. The “Night Train” single had a resurgence in 1954 when it was used as the theme to a light night Houston, Texas radio show called Night Train. In 1955, Forrest released his debut album, Jimmy Forrest’s Night Train, which included his three hit singles. In 1959, he released two albums with Harold Mabern and Grant Green: All the Gin Is Gone and Black Forrest. His next album, Forrest Fire (1960), featured organist Larry Young. He continued to perform with other artists including Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, Al Grey, and Count Basie. His solo releases became infrequent after 1962 as he focused on his session and live work. Jimmy Forrest died on August 26, 1980 of heart failure.
