Johnny Sparrow born November 23, 1919.

Johnny Sparrow (November 13, 1919 - April 24, 1990) was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader active primarily during the 1940s and 1950s, bridging the gap between trad jazz, bebop, jump blues, and early R&B/rock 'n' roll.  

Not much is known about John P. Sparrow's early years  from his birth in Grenada in the West Indies or his relocation to the US mainland. Some sources suggest he originated from the American South or Southwest (possibly Texas). No account can be found as to his career in jazz until early 1944 when he took over Charlie Parker's seat during Jay McShann's Orchestra's residency at the Club Plantation in Los Angeles. He played with them through the spring of that year. unfortunately, the group didn't get to record during this period, and its work has survived best in the form of armed forces radio broadcasts. The band finally broke up in May of 1944 when McShann was drafted.

                                  

Sparrow then played with Louis Armstrong's band in 1946 and 1947, and got to record with the group as well. From Armstrong's band, Sparrow spent two years with Lionel Hampton's ensemble, where he was frequently showcased alongside saxophonist Morris Lane. In 1947, he appeared in Billie Holiday's famous performance at Carnegie Hall (February 8). Sparrow left Hampton in 1949 to form his own band, Johnny Sparrow & His Bows and Arrows, and took the nickname "Mad Sax Man. " They recorded for a pair of small New York-based labels, Melford and National, of which the National sides were far more numerous and successful. Their biggest early success was "Sparrow's Flight," which charted in 1950. 

In 1951, the group moved its base to Philadelphia, maintaining a regular residency at Club 421. During the spring of 1952, they were signed to the Philadelphia-based Gotham Records. At that time, the group consisted of Sparrow on tenor sax, Eugene Burrell (drums), Thomas Moultrie (bass), and Thomas Holloway (piano), later expanding to include flute, trombone, baritone sax, and vibraphone.  Their up-tempo jump instrumentals (such as "Boudoir Boogie", "Jump Steady", and "Paradise Rock") were featured on Alan Freed's influential WINS radio show in New York as early predecessors to rock 'n' roll.  

After his Gotham contract ended in 1953 and a brief, largely unreleased 1954 session for RCA, interest in the band had declined, records were no longer sold and it broke up, and with it, Johnny Sparrow disappeared from the music scene and faded into history. Nothing was heard about him for thirty six years until according to a few sources, he died on April 24, 1990 in Baltimore, Maryland.

(Reference - AllMusic & GeoCities)