Ben Tucker

Benjamin M. Tucker (December 13, 1930 – June 4, 2013) was an American jazz bassist who appeared on hundreds of recordings. Tucker played on albums by Art Pepper, Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, Hank Crawford, Junior Mance, and Herbie Mann.

He was born in Tennessee. As bass player in the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, he wrote the instrumental version of the song "Comin' Home Baby!", first issued on the album Two Feet in the Gutter. Bob Dorough later wrote a lyric to the song, and the vocal version became a Top 40 hit for jazz singer Mel Tormé in 1962.

Tucker released the album Baby, You Should Know It (Ava, 1963) with Victor Feldman, Larry Bunker, Bobby Thomas, Ray Crawford, Tommy Tedesco, and Carlos "Patato" Valdes.

By 1972, Tucker owned two radio stations, WSOK-AM, which had over 400,000 listeners, and WLVH-FM. Both of these were located in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. During the 1990s he owned a jazz bar in Savannah called Hard Hearted Hannah's.

He died in a traffic collision in Hutchinson Island, Georgia, on June 4, 2013.

Leader

 * Sweet Thunder (BenGlo Records (US)|BenGlo Music, 2009)
 * Baby, You Should Know It (Ava records (US), 1963)

Sideman
With Mose Allison With Dave Bailey With Kenny Burrell With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis With Lou Donaldson With Teddy Edwards With Gil Evans With Dexter Gordon With Grant Green With Chico Hamilton With Roland Hanna With Willis Jackson With Illinois Jacquet With Quincy Jones With Clifford Jordan With Yusef Lateef With Junior Mance With Herbie Mann With Warne Marsh With Pat Martino With James Moody With Gerry Mulligan With Mark Murphy With Oliver Nelson With Art Pepper With Lalo Schifrin With Bola Sete '''With Jimmy Smith With Jeremy Steig With Sonny Stitt With Billy Taylor With Harold Vick
 * The Word from Mose (Atlantic, 1964)
 * Reaching Out (Jazztime, 1961)
 * Bash! (Jazzline, 1961)
 * 2 Feet in the Gutter (Epic, 1961)
 * On View at the Five Spot Cafe (Blue Note, 1959)
 * Freedom (Blue Note, 1964 [1980])
 * Swingin' (Blue Note, 1956 [rel. 1980])
 * Love Calls (RCA Victor, 1968)
 * Gravy Train (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Sunset Eyes (Pacific Jazz, 1960)
 * It's All Right! (Prestige, 1967)
 * The Individualism of Gil Evans (Verve, 1964)
 * Clubhouse (Blue Note, 1965 [1979])
 * Green Street (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Sunday Mornin' (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Grantstand (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Chico Hamilton Trio Introducing Freddie Gambrell (World Pacific, 1958)
 * Easy to Love (ATCO, 1960)
 * Gator's Groove (Prestige, 1969)
 * The Message (Prestige, 1963)
 * Bottoms Up (Prestige, 1968)
 * Quincy's Got a Brand New Bag (Mercury, 1965)
 * Soul Fountain (Vortex, 1966 [1970])
 * The Centaur and the Phoenix (Riverside, 1960)
 * The Soulful Piano of Junior Mance (Jazzland, 1960)
 * Herbie Mann at the Village Gate (Atlantic, 1961)
 * Herbie Mann Live at Newport (Atlantic, 1963)
 * Standing Ovation at Newport (Atlantic, 1965)
 * Jazz of Two Cities (Imperial, 1956)
 * Strings! (Prestige, 1967)
 * East! (Prestige, 1968)
 * The Blues and Other Colors (Milestone, 1969)
 * Jeru (Columbia, 1962)
 * That's How I Love the Blues! (Riverside, 1963)
 * Fantabulous (Argo, 1964)
 * The Art Pepper Quartet (Tampa, 1956)
 * Art Pepper with Warne Marsh (Contemporary, 1956 [1986]) with Warne Marsh
 * Collections (Intro, 1957) with Red Norvo, Joe Morello and Gerry Wiggins
 * Modern Art (Intro, 1957)
 * Mucho Calor (Andex, 1957) with Conte Candoli
 * Samba Para Dos (Verve, 1963) with Bob Brookmeyer
 * Bossa Nova (Fantasy, 1962)
 * Got My Mojo Workin' (Verve, 1966)
 * Flute Fever (Columbia, 1964)
 * Sax Expressions (Roost, 1965)
 * I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (Tower, 1968)
 * Sleeping Bee (MPS, 1969)
 * Commitment (Muse, 1967 [1974])