Sticks Evans

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Sticks Evans | image = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = February 5, 1923 | birth_place = | origin = | death_date = {{death date and age|April 11, 1994|February 5, 1923}} | death_place = New York City | genre = Jazz, blues | occupation = Musician | instrument = Drums | years_active = 1948–1994 | label = Prestige | associated_acts =  | website =  }}

'''Samuel "Sticks" Evans''' (February 5, 1923 – April 11, 1994) was an American drummer, percussionist, music teacher, arranger and musical director.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NEUEAAAAMBAJ&dq=sticks+evans&pg=PA22 “From the Music Capitals of the World” 20 March 1971] ''Billboard''. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> He was credited variously as Sammy "Stick" Evans, Samie Evans, Sammy Evans, Sammie Evans, Stick Evans, Sticks Evans, and Belton Evans.

==Biography== In 1950, he recorded with the Milt Buckner Orchestra backing Wynonie Harris, and in 1952-3 he was playing and recording with Milt Buckner's Organ Trio. He left the trio in February 1953,<ref>[http://www.jazzdocumentation.ch/buckner/discography/buckner1.html Büttner, Armin (2011) ''The Recorded Works of Milt Buckner: Part I: 1941 – 1963''] Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> and in 1954 he was with the Teddy Wilson Trio with Milt Hinton.<ref>[http://www.jazzdisco.org/teddy-wilson/discography/ Teddy Wilson Discography] Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref>

In the early 1960s, he was recording on the Prestige label, credited as Belton Evans, and accompanied on bass by Leonard Gaskin, for blues artists such as Curtis Jones, Sunnyland Slim,<ref>[http://blueslim.m78.com/discography.html#Anchor75540 Blues Discography] Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> Sonny Terry,<ref>[http://www.jazzdisco.org/sonny-terry/discography/ Sonny Terry Discography] Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> Big John Greer, LaVern Baker,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=LJdHAAAAMAAJ&q=sticks+evans Mike Leadbitter, Neil Slaven (1987) ''Blues records, 1943–1970: a selective discography''. Record Information Services] at Google Books. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> and King Curtis.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=JTE5AQAAIAAJ&q=sammie+evans+drums Simonds, R. (1983) ''King Curtis, a discography''] at Google Books. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref>

He appears on John Lewis’ ''Jazz Abstractions'' album (1961), with Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman and Jim Hall, among others.<ref>Morton, Brian and Cook, Richard (2010) [https://books.google.com/books?id=K7svgLNMxjgC&dq=sticks+evans&pg=PT569 ''The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums''] at Google Books. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> That same year he was a member of the Ray Bryant Combo backing Aretha Franklin on her second album, ''Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo''.

His pupils included Bernard Purdie,<ref>Chadbourne, Eugene. [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/samuel-smith-mn0001207694 Biography at allmusic] allmusic. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> Max Neuhaus,<ref>[http://www.max-neuhaus.info/ Biography] Max Neuhaus's official website. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> and Terry Burrus.<ref>[http://www.praguepost.com/galleries/6683-commissioning-innovation.html "Commissioning innovation"] ''The Prague Post''. Retrieved 1 April 2013.</ref> Evans died of a stroke, in New York City, in 1994.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&pg=PA162|title=Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door|first=Nick|last=Talevski|date=7 April 2010|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=9780857121172|accessdate=14 May 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref>

==Discography== *1959: ''The Wildest Guitar'' – Mickey Baker *1959: ''Rock with Sedaka'' – Neil Sedaka *1960: ''Slim's Shout'' – Sunnyland Slim *1960: ''Buck Jumpin''', ''The Al Casey Quartet'' – Al Casey *1960: ''Sonny's Story'' – Sonny Terry *1960: ''Slim's Shout'' – Sunnyland Slim *1960: ''The Honeydripper'' – Roosevelt Sykes *1960: ''Sonny Is King'' – Sonny Terry *1960: ''Lightnin''' – Lightnin' Hopkins *1960: ''Trouble Blues'' – Curtis Jones *1960: ''Pre Bird'' (later re-released as ''Mingus Revisited'') – Charles Mingus *1961: ''Beauty is a Rare Thing'' – Ornette Coleman *1961: ''Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo'' – Aretha Franklin *1964: ''Sam Cooke at the Copa'' – Sam Cooke *1964: ''Ya! Ya!'' – Budd Johnson *1971: ''Gospel Now'' – Marion Williams

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Sticks}} Category:1923 births Category:1994 deaths Category:American jazz drummers Category:20th-century American drummers Category:American male drummers Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:American male jazz musicians