Cornell Dupree

A veteran of over 2,500 recording sessions, guitarist Cornell Dupree worked most prolifically in R&B and blues, but he was equally at home in jazz, particularly funky fusion and soul-jazz. Dupree was born in Fort Worth, TX, in 1942, and by the age of 20 was playing in <a href="spotify:artist:0WxOgeRxUt0MwPrI7A5atQ">King Curtis</a>' R&B group. He became a session musician soon after, playing on <a href="spotify:artist:2ttm3uT0N1RN7vwKv1pQgh">Brook Benton</a>'s "Rainy Night in Georgia," as well as records by stars like <a href="spotify:artist:1zJBFCev9UwOMcrZsLi2od">Lou Rawls</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2CvCyf1gEVhI0mX6aFXmVI">Paul Simon</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7jmTilWYlKOuavFfmQAcu6">Barbra Streisand</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6Tw1ktF4xMmzaLLbe98I2z">Harry Belafonte</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2I6nP70ltmOHi6xjJUXHMe">Lena Horne</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0W498bDDNlJIrYMKXdpLHA">Roberta Flack</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3pFCERyEiP5xeN2EsPXhjI">Joe Cocker</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6YHEMoNPbcheiWS2haGzkn">Michael Bolton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4iHNK0tOyZPYnBU7nGAgpQ">Mariah Carey</a>, and countless others. Dupree was also a member of <a href="spotify:artist:7nwUJBm0HE4ZxD3f5cy5ok">Aretha Franklin</a>'s touring band from 1967-1976, and during that time also became a presence on many jazz-funk recordings, the sort that would find favor with rare groove and acid jazz fans in the years to come. Dupree's first jazz session as a leader was 1974's Teasin', which was followed by Saturday Night Fever in 1977, and Shadow Dancing in 1978. During the same period, Dupree was a member of the studio-musician fusion supergroup <a href="spotify:artist:6PJ1lXTD3zLPgo7i8NPaw9">Stuff</a>, which signed with Warner Bros. in 1975 and recorded four albums. They also reunited periodically in the '80s and spawned a mid-'80s spin-off group called the Gadd Gang, which Dupree also belonged to. Some of Dupree's most rewarding jazz albums came in the late '80s and early '90s; 1988's Coast to Coast was nominated for a Grammy, and funky sessions like 1991's Can't Get Through, 1992's live Uncle Funky, and 1993's Child's Play received positive reviews. 1994's Bop 'n' Blues was his most straight-ahead jazz album, also ranking as one of his best. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi