Born Walter Theodore Rollins in Harlem, New York, he was introduced to jazz and blues by his uncle who was a professional saxophonist. In high school, he decided to play the tenor saxophone after playing piano and alto saxophone during his younger years. He was inspired particularly by Coleman Hawkins and by the time Rollins was out of school, he was already working with big-name musicians such as Bud Powell, Fats Navarro and Roy Haynes. In the 1950s, he recorded classics such as Saxophone Colossus, Worktime, Tenor Madness (with John Coltrane), Night At The Village Vanguard, Way Out West and Freedom Suite.

During the 1960s, Rollins recorded The Bridge with Jim Hall and Bob Cranshaw, led a quartet with trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Billy Higgins and recorded with his idol Hawkins. He also received a Grammy nomination for his score for the popular film, Alfie.

In 1972, he released Next Album. In the early ‘80s, Rollins was working under the Milestone label and produced two dozen albums including tour recordings and in-studio tracks with the likes of Tommy Flanagan, Jack DeJohnette, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams, George Duke, Ron Carter and McCoy Tyner. In 2005, Rollins formed his own record label, Doxy Records. The first release under Doxy, Sonny, Please earned a Grammy nomination. Rollins’ Road Shows: Vol. 1 and a DVD, Sonny Rollins in Vienne, have also been released under Doxy.

Rollins won his first Grammy for This Is What I Do (2000) and his second for 2004’s Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2004. Additionally, he was inducted into the Academy of Achievement at the International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles (2006) and was a recipient of the Polar Music Prize, presented in Stockholm (2007). Most recently, he was named Best Tenor Saxophonist in the 2008 Down Beat Critics’ Poll and the Jazz Times Readers’ Poll and by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Sources:
- Sonny Rollin’s Official Site
- Wikipedia.org

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