Real name: Sylvester Kyner Jr.

Born in December 17th, 1932 in Detroit as Sylvester Kyner Jr. Died March 20, 1981.
Sonny Red was an alto saxophonist associated with Hard bop. He worked in Detroit with Barry Harris (1949-1952) and in 1954 temporarily switched to tenor saxophone while with Frank Rosolino. Later that year he joined Art Blakey briefly. In 1957, with his arrival in New York he gained more recognition, recording with Curtis Fuller and Paul Quinichette, in addition to having several dates as a leader (1958-1962) for Savoy, Blue Note, and particularly Jazzland.