Preston Love

Preston Haines Love (April 26, 1921, Omaha, Nebraska – February 12, 2004, Omaha, Nebraska) was an American alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter. Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High. He became renowned as a professional sideman and saxophone balladeer in the heyday of the big band era. He was a member of the bands of Nat Towles, Lloyd Hunter, Snub Mosley, Lucky Millinder and Fats Waller before getting his big break with the Count Basie Orchestra when he was 22. Love eventually became a bandleader himself, playing with Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, his friends Johnny Otis and Wynonie Harris, with whom he had several hits. In the early 1960s Love worked with Ray Charles in California, eventually becoming Motown's West Coast house bandleader. Love toured the U.S. and Europe quite frequently into the 1990s, additionally lecturing and writing about the history he was part of. Other legends he played with included The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. In his later years Love moved back to Omaha, wrote a book and was an advertising agent for the Omaha Star, a local newspaper serving the city's African American community. His daughter is Laura Love. (2) Preston Love's career has intersected, albeit quietly, with almost every aspect of popular music in the 20th century. Born April 26, 1921, in Omaha, NE, Love began playing the saxophone at 15 and by 22 he was sitting on the bandstand as a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. During the late '40s and '50s he toured the Corn Belt playing in territory bands with Nat Towles and Lloyd Hunter and eventually lead his own groups recording for Federal. He worked with Johnny Otis, who wrote and produced one of the few dates with Love as a leader, the funky R&B party of 1969's Preston Love's Omaha Bar-B-Q. During the early '60s he moved to California where he worked with Ray Charles and eventually became the West Coast house bandleader for Motown. Touring the U.S. and Europe quite frequently, the '90s saw Love also add lecturer and author to his already impressive resumé. In February of 2004, Preston Love's lengthy music journey came to an end when the octogenarian passed away after battling lung cancer. ~ Wade Kergan, Rovi Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.