Marl Young

Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Record company owner, Union official (Jan. 29, 1917, Bluefield, Virginia - April 29, 2009, Los Angeles). Born Marl Henderson Young, he was also to be known as Marle Young, Merle Young, and Moral Young. At the age of 5 Youngs' mother moved her 7 children to Chicago, where Marl began playing piano at a young age (1923). In 1933 he joined the Musicians Union and played his first professional job with Milt Hinton and Scoops Carey. In the 1930s he played with others including Reuben Reeves and Baby Dodds. By the early 1940s he was arranging and directing floor shows at such prominent Chicago clubs as Club DeLisa, El Grotto, New Club Plantation, and The Rhumboogie. It was here that Marl was pianist and arranger in the Rhumboogie Dream Band, whose lineup did briefly feature Charlie Parker, then billed later as Marl Young And His Orchestra. 1945 Young was drafted and discharged from the US Army, and also becoming a law school graduate. In 1946 Marl was pianist and arranger in the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the Club DeLisa, while during 1946/47 he was running his own record label Sunbeam (4). A move to Los Angeles in 1947 saw him as a key player in desegregating L.A. musicians unions. He also worked in TV studios as musical director for Desilu Productions.