Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – July 23, 1974) also known as "The Bos… Read Full Bio ↴Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – July 23, 1974) also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ammons studied music with instructor Walter Dyett at DuSable High School. Ammons began to gain recognition while still at high school when in 1943, at the age of 18, he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax's band. In 1944 he joined the band of Billy Eckstine (who bestowed on him the nickname "Jug" when straw hats ordered for the band did not fit), playing alongside Charlie Parker and later Dexter Gordon. Notable performances from this period include "Blowin' the Blues Away," featuring a saxophone duel between Ammons and Gordon. After 1947, when Eckstine became a solo performer, Ammons then led a group, including Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt, that performed at Chicago's Jumptown Club. In 1949 Ammons replaced Stan Getz as a member of Woody Herman's Second Herd, and then in 1950 formed a duet with Sonny Stitt.

The 1950s were a prolific period for Ammons and produced some acclaimed recordings such as "The Happy Blues" (1955), featuring Freddie Redd and Lou Donaldson. Musicians who played in his groups, apart from Stitt, included Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Mal Waldron, Art Farmer, and Duke Jordan.

His later career was interrupted by two prison sentences for narcotics possession, the first from 1958 to 1960, the second from 1962 to 1969. He recorded as a leader for Mercury (1947-1949), Aristocrat (1948-1950), Chess (1950-1951), Prestige (1950-1952), Decca (1952), and United (1952-1953). For the rest of his career, he was affiliated with Prestige. After his release from prison in 1969, having served a seven-year sentence at Joliet penitentiary, he signed the largest contract ever offered at that time by Prestige's Bob Weinstock.

Ammons died in Chicago in 1974, at the age of 49, from cancer.

Ammons and Von Freeman were the founders of the Chicago school of tenor saxophone. Ammons's style of playing showed influences from Lester Young as well as Ben Webster. These artists had helped develop the sound of the tenor saxophone to higher levels of expressiveness. Ammons, together with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, helped integrate their developments with the emerging "vernacular" of the bebop movement, and the chromaticism and rhythmic variety of Charlie Parker is evident in his playing.

While adept at the technical aspects of bebop, in particular its love of harmonic substitutions, Ammons more than Young, Webster or Parker, stayed in touch with the commercial blues and R&B of his day. For example, in 1950 the saxophonist's recording of "My Foolish Heart" made Billboard Magazine's black pop charts. The soul jazz movement of the mid-1960s, often using the combination of tenor saxophone and Hammond B3 electric organ, counts him as a founder. With a thicker, warmer tone than Stitt or Gordon, Ammons could at will exploit a vast range of textures on the instrument, vocalizing it in ways that look forward to later artists like Stanley Turrentine, Houston Person, and even Archie Shepp. Ammons showed little interest, however, in the modal jazz of John Coltrane, Joe Henderson or Wayne Shorter that was emerging at the same time.

Some fine ballad performances in his oeuvre are testament to an exceptional sense of intonation and melodic symmetry, powerful lyrical expressiveness, and mastery both of the blues and the bebop vernacular that can now be described as, in its own way, "classical."

King Pleasure recorded his vocalese take on Ammons' composition "Hittin' the Jug" under the title "Swan Blues".

"Answer Me, My Love" written by Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman and Gerhard Winkler, performed by Gene Ammons, is featured on the soundtrack for Romance & Cigarettes (2005).
He played on a Bb Conn 10M tenor saxophone with a Brilhart Ebolin mouthpiece.

Ammons is considered a major influence on the style of popular jazz tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman a.o..

Till There Was You
Gene Ammons Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'Till There Was You' by these artists:

8. The Beatles There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Billy Eckstine There were bells on a hill But I never heard…
BRYANT ANITA There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
David Hobson There were bells on a hill, But I never heard them…
Etta Jones There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Jerry Vale There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Joanie Sommers There were bells on a hill But I never heard…
Karaoke - Rod Stewart There were bells on a hill but I never heard…
Karaoke - The Beatles There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…

Katherine Jenkins There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Laura Fygi There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Los Cafres There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
M.Willson Marian: There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Meredith Willson There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Monique Kessous There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Music Man There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Nana Mouskouri There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Peggy Lee There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Peter & Gordon There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Philippine Madrigal Singers There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Rachael Starr [x2] Till there was you What can I do? I want you addicted…
Rachaell Star What in the world is a girl to do? When in…
Rachel Star [x2] Till there was you What can I do? I want you addic…
Rachel Starr I want you addicted to me.. What in the world is…
Ray Charles Oh, there were bells on a hill, yeah And I never…
Raymond Lauchengco There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Rod Stewart There were bells on a hill but I never heard…
Sex and the city 2 There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Shirley Jones There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
Shirley Jones & Robert Preston There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Sitti There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
Sophie Milman(vo) Gil Goldstein(accordion) Julian Lage(g) & Larry Grenadier(b) There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
STARR Rachael [x2] Till there was you What can I do? I want you addic…
Sue Raney There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
The Beatles There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
The Beatles洀 There were bells on a hill But I never heard them…
The Music Man There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…
The Smithereens Willson There were bells on the hill But I never heard t…
Various Artists It's funny when you find yourself Looking from the outside I…
willson Marian: There were bells on the hill But I never heard them…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Gene Ammons:

Autumn Leaves The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of…
Back In Your Own Back Yard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Back In Your Own Backyard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Ben Ben, the two of us need look no more, We both…
Body And Soul My heart is sad and lonely For you I sigh, for…
But Beautiful Love is funny or it's sad, Or it's quiet or…
But Not for Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true …
Bye Bye No one here can love or understand me Oh, what hard…
Calypso Blues Wa-oo-oo, wa-oo-oo, Wa-oo wa-oo wa-oo wa-ay Wa-oo-oo, wa-…
Can Anyone Explain Can anyone explain the thrill of a kiss No! No! No! But…
Canadian Sunset Once I was alone So lonely and then You came, out of…
Didn't We This time we almost made the pieces fit Didn't we? This time…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Exactly Like You I used to have a perfect sweetheart Not a real one,…
For You When you just give love And never get love You'd better le…
Good Bye I remember holdin' on to you All them long and lonely…
Goodbye I remember holdin' on to you All them long and lonely…
Here Maybe I should have saved those left over dreams Funny, but…
I Can't Give You Anything But Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
I Remember You How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
I Sold My Heart to the Junk Man All over town they're talking about me The whole world knows…
I Want to Be Loved I'm a very ordinary man Trying to work out life's happy…
I'm Beginning to See the Light I never cared much for moonlit skies I never wink back…
If You Are But a Dream If you are but a dream I hope I never waken, It's…
It Don't Mean A Thing It don't mean a thing If it ain't got that swing (doo…
It Might as Well Be Spring I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
It's the Talk of the Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, It'…
It's You Or No One How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
It´S The Talk Of The Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, I…
It’s You or No One How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
Jug's Blue Blues Wa-oo-oo, wa-oo-oo, Wa-oo wa-oo wa-oo wa-ay Wa-oo-oo, wa-oo…
Just Friends Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…
Let It Be I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
Long Ago And Far Away Long ago and far away I dreamed a dream one day And…
Love Is Here to Stay It's very clear, our love is here to stay Not for…
Lucille Lucille, won't you do your sister's will? Oh, Lucille, won't…
Moonglow It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue It…
My Romance My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the…
Namely You You deserve a boy who's willin', namely me. One who'd…
Old Folks Everyone knows him as Old Folks Like the seasons, he'll com…
Once In A While Once in a while will you try to give One little…
Out in the Cold Again The song that you sang so sweetly You called it our…
Pagan Love Song Come with me where moonbeams light Tahitian skies And the st…
Papa Was A Rolling Stone It was the third of September; that day I'll always…
Pennies From Heaven Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven Don't you…
Prelude to a Kiss If you hear A song in blue Like a flower crying For the…
Skylark Skylark Have you anything to say to me? Won't you tell me…
Someone to Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Something I Dreamed Last Night I can't believe that you're not here with me To have…
Song of the Islands Islands of Hawaii Where skies of blue are calling me Where b…
Stairway to the Stars Let's build a stairway to the stars And climb that stairway…
Stormy Monday Blues I had a hard time waking this morning I got a…
Street of Dreams Midnight, you heavy laden, it's midnight Come on and trade …
The Song Is You I hear music when I look at you, A beautiful theme…
Them There Eyes I was just minding my business Life was a beautiful song D…
There Is No Greater Love There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…
Time On My Hands When the day fades away into twilight The moon is my…
Travellin' Light I'm trav'lin' light Because my man has gone So from now on…
Until The Real Thing Comes Along I'd wait for you I'd slave for you I'd be a beggar…
Where Or When It seems we stood and talked like this before We looked…
Why Was I Born Spending these lonesome evenings With nothing to do But to l…
You Go to My Head You go to my head And you linger like a haunting…
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to You'd be so nice to come home to You'd be so…

You're Not the Kind You say you're falling in love with me That's why I…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS