Henry Blankenship
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Henry Otto Blankenship (born March 5, 1926; died February 10, 1994) was a jazz trumpeter and tenor vocalist.
Blankenship graduated from Parker High School and played in support of Erskine Hawkins, Amos Gordon, Lou Rawls and Lionel Hampton. He achieved some success with his own recording of Sammy and Betty Lowe's "I've Only Myself to Blame", which he also recorded with the Birmingham Heritage Band. His career was cited as an inspiration for the opening of Jazzi's on 3rd.
Blankenship was part of the 1981 class of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. He was honored with a star on the Alabama Walk of Fame, right outside Jazzi's, on July 1, 2023.
Blankenship died in 1994 and is buried at Carver Memorial Gardens in Minor.
References
- "Jazz Hall of Fame receives 16." (November 14, 1981) Birmingham Post-Herald, p. A6
- "A.H. Parker High School Grad to Get Star on Alabama Walk of Fame." (June 30, 2023) The Birmingham Times
- Watson, Nathan (July 3, 2023) "Jazz legend Henry “Otto” Blankenship awarded star on Alabama Walk of Fame." Bham Now
External links
- Henry Otto Blankenship at Findagrave.com