Ernest Outlaw, a bass violinist who played jazz at the Chicago Playboy Club, died on July 12 of kidney failure. He was 75.
Outlaw started playing music when he was five or six years old. He taught himself the bass, then learned how to play various woodwind instruments. During World War II, Outlaw toured Europe playing the sax in the 427th Army Band.
After he returned to the states, Outlaw joined the Joe Iaco Trio, the band at the Playboy Club, and played there for 25 years, performing alongside Barbra Streisand, James Moody and Sonny Sitt.
Posted on July 24, 2003 11:47 PMSadly, another great man of the era has passed away this week. Joe Iaco, with whom Ernest played, is being remebered by freinds and family in Chicago on January 7th, 2005.
No doubt, the golden era of the Playboy Club and the exploits of loose, cool cat musicians who played there will be spoken of.