Born in Laurel, Mississippi, on April 21, 1922, Mundell Lowe was a reliable cool-toned guitarist who took part on many sessions through the years despite never becoming a household name.

Lowe picked up early experience during 1936-1940 playing Dixieland in New Orleans and country music in Nashville. He toured with Jan Savitt (1942), Ray McKinley (1945-1947), Mary Lou Williams (1947-1949), Red Norvo, and Ellis Larkins.

In 1950, he became a staff musician at NBC, although he always played jazz on the side. Lowe was with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra (1952-1953), worked with Benny Goodman on an occasional basis, and recorded as a leader for RCA, Riverside, Camden, and Charlie Parker Records. His recording credits ranged from such jazz greats as Charles Mingus, Buddy Rich and Carmen McRae, with whom he made seven albums, to R&B vocal dynamo Ruth Brown, Barry Manilow and Johnny Ray, whose 1951 hit, “Cry,” featured Lowe.

In 1965, Lowe moved to California and worked as a composer for films and television. Lowe’s film and TV music credits included “Hawaii Five-O,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)” and “Billy Jack,” teaching film composition during 1979-1985. He played locally in Los Angeles, often with Richie Kamuca and Benny Carter. Mundell Lowe (who married to singer Betty Bennett) recorded sets for Famous Door (1974), Dobre (1976), and Jazz Alliance (1992).

In the past decade, Lowe had bounced back from angina, bladder cancer, kidney disease and stage IV lung cancer. He died at his San Diego home on Saturday, December 2, 2017, at the age of 95.

Scott Yanow -All Music Guide