Boots Randolph

Homer Louis “Boots” Randolph III (b. Padukah, Kentucky, June 3, 1927 – d. Nashville, Tennessee, July 3, 2007) – Saxophonist. Raised mainly in Cadiz, Kentucky, Randolph played trombone and ukulele in a family band. Starting in his sophomore year in high school, he attended Evansville Central High School, where he switched from trombone to saxophone in the school band. After graduating from Central, Randolph entered the U.S. Army and played saxophone, trombone and vibraphone in the military band. Following his duty, he worked as a laborer driving wedges into hammer heads at American Fork and Hoe in Evansville, but he quit after four weeks in fear that constant blows to his fingers would adversely affect his saxophone playing. From 1948 to 1957, he lived mainly in Decatur, Illinois, and briefly in Louisville, and played in various groups in the tri-state area (Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky). In the late 1950s, Randolph was hired by Chet Atkins of RCA Records, where Boots helped capture the “Nashville sound.” As a session man, he played on recordings of Perry Como, Homer and Jethro, Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee (including the famous sax solo on “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”), and Roy Orbison. Considered the only great hillbilly saxophonist, Randolph struck it big with his signature hit “Yakety Sax” (1963), which became theme music for Benny Hill. In 1977, he opened Printer’s Alley, a Nashville nightclub. Over the years, he made numerous appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and he was also a guest on Hee Haw and the Tonight Show.