Ron Bridgewater (Born 1947)
Born in Champaign-Urbana to a musical family, saxophonist Ron Bridgewater began his professional career in 1972 with a State Department tour of Japan, Europe, the Soviet Union and the United States in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. He spent 20 years in NYC performing with many great musicians, including Max Roach, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Cab Calloway, Larry Coryell, Billy Taylor and Frank Foster. With his brother, Cecil Bridgewater, he recorded two albums as the Bridgewater Brothers. On Broadway, he performed and served as assistant musical director in the musical Lena Horne -The Lady and Her Music. Currently an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, he teaches jazz saxophone and Jazz Styles. In addition, in the community, he helped establish the Banks, Bridgewater, Lewis Fine Arts Academy, a music program for high school and middle school students.
“If you get hungry then you gotta play for money:” Local black jazz musicians famous and unnoticed. The Daily Illini, Wednesday, April 6, 1977, Spectrum 6.
Ron Bridgewater, Discogs
Bridgewaters Brothers Discography, JazzDisco.com
Getting Personal: Ron Bridgewater, The News-Gazette
