Andy Gibson

Who was Andy Gibson?

Albert "Andy" Gibson was an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer.

Gibson played violin early on before settling on trumpet. While he played professionally in many orchestras, he did not solo and was utilized far more often as an arranger. His associations include Lew Redman, Zack Whyte, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Blanche Calloway, Willie Bryant, and Lucky Millinder. He quit playing in 1937 to arrange and compose full-time, working with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Charlie Barnet, and Harry James. He led a big band while serving in the Army from 1942-45.

Following his discharge he continued working with Barnet, but focused primarily on R&B music. He was musical director for King Records from 1955–60 and recorded four songs as a leader in 1959, which were released on a multi-artist LP on Camden Records. As a composer, he composed "I Left My Baby", "The Great Lie", and "The Hucklebuck".

Andy Gibson died from a heart attack on February 10, 1961, in Cincinnati.