Tommy Tucker's music was 'like it was coming out of his soul'

I played on the same stages as Tommy playing the same instrument 35 years ago but neither of us made an attempt to get to know each other than this past year. For some reason I felt like I had known and talked to him for all those years..maybe it was "sameness" or something it was really a short but great few moments and times we spent talking about the days when we both played Sax on the stage (with different Bands) at the Castaways club in GBoro and what followed for us!! We both went off to all parts of the country doing lots of stuff and ended up meeting in High Point when he played at the Mall and I had a little store there 35 years later.

I have been a professional saxophone player since 1966. My first inspiration to follow that path was - Tommy Tucker. I used to hear him play with the Fabulous Five and just couldn't believe how good he was. He was amazing. I later went on to play in the Army band and went to school in Boston at the Berklee College of Music and also taught at Berklee. I have been a musician for all of my adult life and Tommy had a big hand in that. I left Boston and now play and teach privately in Raleigh NC but I've never heard anyone play with any more soul or feeling than Tommy did. I wish I had some recordings of him...