Bross Townsend

Who was Bross Townsend?

Bross Elvie Townsend, Jr. was an American jazz and blues pianist.

Townsend was born in Princeton, Kentucky. His father was also a pianist, who started his son on the instrument at age seven. He moved to Cleveland in 1933 and attended the Cleveland Institute of Music. He accompanied local singers such as Little Jimmy Scott and Wynonie Harris and played freelance from 1953 with Gene Ammons, John Coltrane, Memphis Slim, and Jimmy Reed. He made several tours of Europe as a solo performer.

Townsend was active in New York City from 1959 almost up until his death there in 2003; he worked with Warren Smith, Carrie Smith, Bubba Brooks, Woody Herman, Diana Ross, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Arvell Shaw, in addition to performing solo.

In the mid-1990s he was a member of The 3B's, with Bob Cunningham and Bernard Purdie.

Townsend went blind in the middle of the 1990s but continued to perform.