Georgie Auld

Georgie Auld, born John Altwerger on May 19, 1919, in Toronto, Canada, was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader who also appeared on Broadway. In 1929, his family relocated to Brooklyn, New York. Before leaving Canada, his parents purchased him an alto saxophone, which he taught himself to play. He later transitioned to the tenor saxophone after hearing a recording by Coleman Hawkins.

Auld built his career primarily within the swing tradition, performing and recording alongside musicians including Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Porcino, Billy Eckstine, Tiny Kahn, and Frank Rosolino. He was a member of big bands throughout his career and also led his own ensembles, among them Georgie Auld and His Orchestra and Georgie Auld and His Hollywood All Stars. In 1959, he worked with Alan Freed, performing rock and roll.

In 1949, Auld made his Broadway appearance at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, playing the role of Carl in The Rat Race. His work extended into film as well. He took a small part in the 1952 motion picture The Marrying Kind, and in 1977 he appeared in New York, New York, starring Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro, portraying a bandleader while also serving the production as a technical consultant.

As a recording artist, Auld led numerous sessions across labels including Coral, EmArcy, Capitol, Brunswick, Philips, and Columbia, releasing albums such as In the Land of Hi-Fi, Sax Gone Latin, and The Georgie Auld Quintet Plays the Winners. He also contributed as a sideman on recordings by artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, Dinah Washington, Buddy Rich, and Artie Shaw, among many others.

Auld died on January 8, 1990, in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 70.