Sticks Evans

Samuel "Sticks" Evans (February 5, 1923 – April 11, 1994) was an American drummer, percussionist, music teacher, arranger and musical director. He was credited variously as Sammy "Stick" Evans, Samie Evans, Sammy Evans, Sammie Evans, Stick Evans, Sticks Evans, and Belton Evans.

Biography In 1950, he recorded with the Milt Buckner Orchestra backing Wynonie Harris, and in 1952-53 he was playing and recording with Milt Buckner's Organ Trio. He left the trio in February 1953, and in 1954 he was with the Teddy Wilson Trio with Milt Hinton.

In the early 1960s, he was recording on the Prestige label, credited as Belton Evans, and accompanied on bass by Leonard Gaskin, for blues artists such as Curtis Jones, Sunnyland Slim, Sonny Terry, Big John Greer, LaVern Baker, and King Curtis.

He appears on John Lewis’ Jazz Abstractions album (1961), with Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman and Jim Hall, among others. That same year he was a member of the Ray Bryant Combo backing Aretha Franklin on her second album, Aretha.

His pupils included Bernard Purdie, Max Neuhaus, and Terry Burrus. Evans died of a stroke, in New York City, in 1994.

Discography

1959: The Wildest Guitar – Mickey Baker 1959: Rock with Sedaka – Neil Sedaka 1960: Slim's Shout – Sunnyland Slim 1960: Buck Jumpin', The Al Casey Quartet – Al Casey 1960: Sonny's Story – Sonny Terry 1960: Slim's Shout – Sunnyland Slim 1960: The Honeydripper – Roosevelt Sykes 1960: Sonny Is King – Sonny Terry 1960: Lightnin' – Lightnin' Hopkins 1960: Trouble Blues – Curtis Jones 1960: Pre Bird (later re-released as Mingus Revisited) – Charles Mingus 1961: Beauty is a Rare Thing – Ornette Coleman 1961: Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo – Aretha Franklin 1964: Sam Cooke at the Copa – Sam Cooke 1964: Ya! Ya! – Budd Johnson 1971: Gospel Now – Marion Williams