Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr. (September 1 1925-June 15, 1982) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He began his musical career in the 1940s playing with Benny Carter and Stan Kenton. In the 1950s Pepper became one of the leading lights of West coast jazz, along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Shelly Manne, and others.
Pepper was born in San Pedro, California, but lived for many years in the hills of Echo Park, another neighborhood in Los Angeles. He became a heroin addict in the 1940s, an...Read More >