LEE, THOMAS BALL [SONNY] (1904–?).Trombonist Thomas Ball (Sonny) Lee was born in Huntsville, Texas, on August 26, 1904. He studied at a teachers' college and worked with Texas pianist Peck Kelleyqv in Houston before continuing his studies in St. Louis, where as early as 1925 he worked with Frankie Trumbauer. He also worked with such orchestra leaders as Gene Rodemich, Vincent Lopez, and Paul Specht. From 1932 to 1936 Lee was with the Isham Jones Orchestra, and in 1936 he worked with Artie Shaw and recorded with the Charlie Barnet Orchestra. In 1937–38 Lee was with the Bunny Berigan Orchestra, with which in 1937 he recorded "Mahogany Hall Stomp." On this tune, made famous by Louis Armstrong, Lee turns in a superb solo that shows his skilled handling of his instrument, somewhat under the influence of his fellow Texan Jack Teagarden.qv In 1938 Lee began an association with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra that lasted until 1946. The date and place of his death are unknown.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: John Chilton, Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street (London: Bloomsbury Book Shop, 1970; American ed., New York and Philadelphia: Chilton, 1972; 4th ed., New York: Da Capo Press, 1985 ). An Introduction to Bunny Berigan: His Best Recordings, 1935–1939 (Best of Jazz 4021, 1995).
Dave Oliphant
