Bobby Burdette

Bobby Burdette (tenor saxophonist) was born in Des Moines, Iowa. As a young boy, his family moved to Milwaukee, where he attended St. Benedict’s School, which was founded in 1908 to cater to the needs of Roman Catholic African Americans. He then attended Roosevelt Junior High School (now Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts).

While still in his teens, he began performing with his baritone sax-playing classmate James Phelps in a Milwaukee band called Little Beau’s before hitting the road at age 17 with blues singer Big Joe Turner. Bobby later joined bands led by King Kolax and Lionel Hampton and led his own groups. He returned to Milwaukee in the 1950s and performed at the Flame in the Bronzeville neighborhood. He later played at D’Mitri’s, Touch of the Grape, Club 26, White Pub, and Gallagher’s. During his career, he performed with greats such as Stan Getz and Charlie Parker. He was also the owner of a club on North Fourteenth Street and West Meinecke Avenue that featured jazz.

He died of emphysema on March 2, 1999, at Bradley-Beverly Healthcare at age 73.