Michael Andrew " Peanuts" Hucko (April 7, 1918
Early life and education
He was born in Syracuse, New York, United States,
and moved to New York City in 1939;
he played tenor saxophone with
Will Bradley, Tommy Reynolds,
and
Joe Marsala until 1940.
After a brief time with
Charlie Spivak, he joined the
Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band which he served in Europe during World War II.
During this time, Peanuts (the nickname comes from a childhood love of the food) began to concentrate on the clarinet "because we did a lot of marching in sand, which was awkward with the tenor."
He was featured in Miller's hard-driving versions of "Stealin' Apples" and "Mission to Moscow".
Post-war period
During the post-war period, Hucko played in the bands of
Benny Goodman,
Ray McKinley,
Eddie Condon and
Jack Teagarden.
From 1950 to 1955, he was busy in New York as a
Session musician for CBS and ABC.
This was followed by more work with Goodman and Teagarden, after which he joined the
Louis Armstrong All-Stars from 1958 to 1960.
When he visited Tokyo, Japan, as the lead alto saxophone player of Benny Goodman's Orchestra in January, 1951, he listened to clarinetist
Shoji Suzuki and his Rhythm Aces. With Suzuki and his band, they recorded the song "Suzukake No Michi", which broke sales records in Japan.
Hucko led his own group at Eddie Condon's Club from 1964 to 1966.
In the 1970s, he led the Glenn Miller Orchestra and toured with them across the U.S. and abroad.
In the 1980s, Hucko had a busy concert and touring schedule as a soloist and with his award-winning Pied Piper quintet.
He died in 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 85.[Michael "Peanuts" Hucko: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, June 23, 2003]
Compositions
Peanuts Hucko wrote, or co-wrote, the following songs: "See You Again", "A Bientot", "Peanut Butter", which appeared on
V-Disc 812B, "Blintzes Bagel Boogie", which appeared on V-Disc 825A, "Falling Tears", "First Friday", "Tremont Place", and "Sweet Home Suite".
Discography
As leader
-
Peanuts Hucko (Epic Records, 1954)
-
Stealin' Apples (Zodiac, 1983)
-
Swing That Music (Star Line, 1992)
As sideman
With Louis Armstrong
-
At Newport (Columbia, 1956)
-
Town Hall (RCA Victor, 1957)
-
Satchmo Plays King Oliver (Audio Fidelity, 1960)
With Eddie Condon
-
Jammin' at Condon's (Columbia, 1955)
-
Midnight in Moscow (Epic, 1956)
-
Dixieland Dance Party (London, 1958)
With others
-
Will Bradley & Ray McKinley, Hi-Fi Dixie (Jazztone, 1957)
-
Ruth Brown, Ruth Brown (Atlantic, 1957)
-
Billy Butterfield, Thank You for a Lovely Evening (RCA Victor, 1958)
-
Lee Castle, Dixieland Heaven (Davis, 1957)
-
Al Cohn, The Sax Section (Epic, 1956)
-
Chris Connor, Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac of Song (Atlantic, 1957)
-
Warren Covington, Golden Trombones Favorites (Decca, 1966)
-
Morey Feld, Jazz Goes to B'Way (Kapp, 1955)
-
Bud Freeman, Midnight at Eddie Condon's (Emarcy, 1955)
-
Yank Lawson, Ragtime Jamboree (Decca, 1954)
-
Lawson-Haggart Jazz Band, Windy City (Decca, 1958)
-
Lou McGarity, Lou McGarity: In Celebration (IAJRC, 1981)
-
Ray McKinley, Borderline (Savoy, 1955)
-
Jimmy McPartland, Dixieland! (Harmony, 1968)
-
Mel Powell, Out On a Limb (Vanguard, 1955)
-
Lou Stein, The Lou Stein Three, Four and Five (Epic, 1955)
-
Lou Stein, Eight for Kicks Four for Laughs (Jubilee, 1956)
-
Jack Teagarden, Jack Teagarden (RCA Victor, 1966)
-
Helen Ward, With a Little Bit of Swing (RCA Victor, 1958)
-
Alex Welsh, Peanuts Hucko Vol. 1 (Lake, 2002)
-
Lee Wiley, West of the Moon (RCA Victor, 1957)
External links
