Musician. He was an American tenor saxophonist, who played with nearly every jazz and blues celebrity of his time. When he was only 19 years old, he had a standout solo on Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home," which became a rhythm and blues standard. For some time, he was expected to play the solo at every gig. He was a talented and powerful-sounding tenor saxophonist. Born a Creole of color, he was of French, African American and Native American heritage. His family were musical with his father having a band and his two brothers also playing instruments. His parents began calling him "Illinois" at an early age. At 15, he began playing with the Milton Larkin Orchestra, a Houston-area dance band before going to California where his career bloomed. He played in the first concert of the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" and later, toured with this group. In 1942 he joined Cab Calloway's band. In 1944 he, his brother Russell on trumpet and Charles Mingus on string bass appeared as a trio in the epic jazz film, "Jammin' the Blues." By 1946, he relocated to New York City to play with the Count Basie Orchestra for a year. Having to play to segregated audiences in the South, he fought for racial equality most of his life and did make a change. In 1955 for the first time ever, singer Ella Fitzgerald and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with an African-American band played in Houston before a non-segregated audience. That night, he played the sax in the band. After mastering the bassoon in 1960, he doubled played the instrument, which only a few jazz musicians could accomplish. He played mostly in Europe during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1983, he was the first jazz musician in residence for a year at Harvard University. In 1992 a documentary of his life "Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story" was made. At the White House, he played for United States Presidents and played with one, President Bill Clinton, at the inaugural ball in January of 1993. Sources state that he was married and divorced twice, had two children, and at the time of his death, had a long-time companion. During his career, he recorded a total of 300 songs on nearly fifty albums, with three being released posthumously. He was honored with the Rhythm & Blue Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1995. His last performance was on July 16, 2004 at the Lincoln Center in New York City, and he died six days later at the age of 81.