A veteran of over 2,500 recording sessions, guitarist
Cornell Dupree worked most prolifically in
r&b and
blues, but he was equally at home in
jazz, particularly funky
fusion and soul-jazz.
Dupree was born in Fort Worth, TX, in 1942, and by the age of 20 was playing in
King Curtis'
r&b group. He became a session musician soon after, playing on
Brook Benton's "Rainy Night in Georgia," as well as records by stars like
Lou Rawls,
Paul Simon,
Barbra Streisand,
Harry Belafonte,
Lena Horne,
Roberta Flack,
Joe Cocker,
Michael Bolton,
Mariah Carey, and countless others.
Dupree was also a member of
Aretha Franklin's touring band from 1967-1976, and during that time also became a presence on many
jazz-funk recordings, the sort that would find favor with rare groove and
acid jazz fans in the years to come.
Dupree's first
jazz session as a leader was 1974's Teasin', which was followed by Saturday Night Fever in 1977, and Shadow Dancing in 1978. During the same period,
Dupree was a member of the studio-musician
fusion supergroup
Stuff, which signed with Warner Bros. in 1975 and recorded four albums. They also reunited periodically in the '80s and spawned a mid-'80s spin-off group called
the Gadd Gang, which
Dupree also belonged to. Some of
Dupree's most rewarding
jazz albums came in the late '80s and early '90s; 1988's Coast to Coast was nominated for a Grammy, and funky sessions like 1991's Can't Get Through, 1992's live Uncle Funky, and 1993's Child's Play received positive reviews. 1994's Bop 'n' Blues was his most straight-ahead
jazz album, also ranking as one of his best. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Night Fever: The Versatile Sessions