Celebrity Graveland

July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970

When Charlie Parker and John Coltrane – arguably two of the most influential and beloved saxophone players of all time – both point to one man as being the best, it’s probably a good idea not to argue.

Johnny Hodges was born and raised in Boston. He played piano and drums as a kid, but eventually, it was the sax that found its way into his soul. Impressing everyone he played for, Hodges made his way to New York City in his late teens where he met up with one, Mr. Duke Ellington.

Hodges played in Ellington’s orchestra for the better part of 4 decades. He didn’t have the flashy stage persona or flourishing solo work that many of the superstars of jazz possessed, but he needed none of that. Admired for his pure tone and brilliant phrasing, Hodges quickly became the sax players’ sax player. Duke loved to write for his players, so Hodges got plenty of opportunities to shine. Hits like “Prelude to a Kiss” and “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)” heavily featured his solos.

For a brief period of time in the 1950s (playing with and for the likes of Lawrence Welk, among others), Hodges ventured out with his own band, but he eventually returned to Ellington, playing with him for the remainder of his life.

Johnny Hodges died of a heart attack at the age of 62. Duke himself said his band would never sound the same without Hodges.

Burial

Flushing Cemetery – Queens NY

Specific Location

Section 11-D; In the northeastern corner of this section, right along the road. Visible by the marked bench that accompanies his gravesite.

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on June 22, 2026 at 8:55 am and is filed under Flushing Cemetery with tags Flushing Cemetery, Jazz Musicians, Musicians. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.