One of the earliest "tough Texas tenors,"
Herschel Evans' hard sound was a perfect contrast to that of the cool-toned
Lester Young in the Count Basie Orchestra. He started out playing in territory bands, including
Troy Floyd (1929-1931) with whom he made his recording debut, and
Benny Moten (1933-1935). In 1936,
Evans had stints with
Lionel Hampton and
Buck Clayton in Los Angeles and then joined
Count Basie just in time to enjoy the band's success and participate on many recordings; his most famous solo was on a ballad feature "Blue and Sentimental" from 1938. Sadly,
Herschel Evans died of a heart ailment before his 30th birthday. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide