BUDDY TATE (saxophonist) was born George Holmes “Buddy” Tate on February 22, 1913 in Sherman Texas and passed away in 2001 in Phoenix, Arizona. One of the great tenor saxophonists of the swing period, this swinging “Texas Tenor” combined elements of Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins in his playing. Tate joined the Count Basie band in 1939 and stayed until 1948, moving to New York and leading his own band at the Celebrity Club for over 20 years. He remained active as a guest soloist into the 70s and 80s with artists such as Lionel Hampton and Jay McShann.