GLENN, EVANS [TYREE] (1912–1974). Jazzqv trombonist Evans (Tyree) Glenn was born in Corsicana on November 23, 1912. Glenn played trombone and vibraphone with local Texas bands before moving in the early 1930s to Washington, D.C., where he performed with several prominent bands of the Swing Era. He joined Tommy Myles's band in 1934 and played with it until 1936.
After he left Myles, Glenn moved to Los Angeles and performed with several well-known entertainers, including Eddie Barefield, Lionel Hampton, Eddie Mallory, and Charlie Echols. He joined Cab Calloway in 1939 and was an important member of the band until he left it in 1946. From 1947 to 1951 he played with Duke Ellington's orchestra. During the 1950s Glenn did some radio,qv television, and acting work. In 1953 he joined Jack Sterling's New York daily radio show, with which he remained until 1963. After leaving radio Glenn joined Louis Armstrong's band and played with it from 1965 until Armstrong died in 1971. After Armstrong's death, Glenn formed his own band and performed with it until shortly before he died.
Although Glenn primarily recorded with other bands, such as those of Ellington, Armstrong, and Sy Oliver, he recorded albums of his own––Tyree Glenn at the Roadhouse (1958), Tyree Glenn with Strings (1960), and Tyree Glenn at the London House (1961). He also wrote "Sultry Serenade," which was recorded by Duke Ellington and Erroll Garner. Glenn died of cancer on May 18, 1974, and was survived by two sons, Tyree Jr., and Roger, both musicians.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Leonard Feather, The Encyclopedia of Jazz (New York: Horizon Press, 1955). Leonard Feather, The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties (New York: Horizon Press, 1966). Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler, The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies (New York: Horizon Press, 1976). Colin Larkin, ed., The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Chester, Connecticut: New England Publishing Associates, 1992; 2d ed., New York: Stockton Press, 1995). Eileen Southern, Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1982).
James Head
