Sonny Cox facts for kids
Landon "Sonny" Cox was a talented American who lived from 1938 to 2020. He was famous for two things: being a great basketball coach and playing the alto saxophone in jazz music.
Early Life and Music
Sonny Cox's mom, Helen Harris, was a singer. She even performed with a famous musician named Erskine Hawkins. When he was young, Sonny played music with a group called The Rocks. They were from Cincinnati. This group played backup for many popular soul singers like Jackie Wilson and Jerry Butler.
In 1955, Sonny met Ken Prince, an organ player. They started playing music together in Chicago. In 1964, they formed a band called The Three Souls with drummer Robert Shy. This group made three music albums for the Argo-Cadet record label.
Coaching Career
Sonny Cox also had a very successful career as a sports coach. In 1974, he became the baseball coach at Paul Robeson High School (Chicago, Illinois).
Then, in 1981, he became the basketball coach at King College Prep High School. He was an amazing coach there! His teams won three state basketball championships. This means they were the best high school basketball teams in Illinois three times!
In 2006, Sonny Cox was honored as one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament." This special group was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship. Many talented basketball players were coached by Sonny Cox at King High School. Some of these players include Marcus Liberty, Jamie Brandon, Rashard Griffith, and Marcus Cathcings.
Musical Style
Sonny Cox's music was influenced by other great jazz musicians. Jazz critic Joe Segal said that Sonny's sound was a mix of the jazz feeling from Charlie Parker. He also had a warm, deep sound like Earl Bostic, who was a famous alto saxophone player. Sometimes, Sonny's music also sounded like Hank Crawford.
Music Albums
Sonny Cox released several albums during his music career:
- The Three Souls Dangerous Dan Express (on Argo Records) (1964)
- The Three Souls Soul Sounds (on Argo Records) (1965)
- Sonny Cox The Wailer (on Cadet Records) (1966)
