b. Oliver King Perry, 1920, Gary, Indiana, USA. Starting with the violin, Perry learned a variety of instruments in his youth, including bass, trumpet, drums, piano and clarinet, before the alto saxophone after seeing Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Perry ended up in Los Angeles, in 1945, after a tour with his small band and stayed, recording for Melodisc Records in July of that year. They went on to have records released on Excelsior/United Artists (not the well-known label from recent years) - finding success on the R&B charts with his ‘Keep A Dollar In Your ...