David Newman (jazz musician)

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David "Fathead" Newman b. February 24, 1933 in Corsicana, Texas is an American saxophonist.

His professional career began in 1954 as an original member of the Ray Charles Band.

Newman has had a prolific recording and performing career.

Newman got his nick-name in high school music class. Mr. Miller, his then music teacher, saw his music upside down on the stand, and knowing that David couldn't read music very well, walked over and tapped him on his head with the conductor's baton and called him "Fathead". The entire classroom laughed, and David having good humor, did not find it derogatory; so it has stuck with him ever since. But he himself has said he prefers to be called David.

He moved to Dallas where he graduated from Lincoln High School. After high school he started playing flute and tenor saxophone at local shows. He then received a scholarship to Jarvis Christian College where he studied theology and music. David stayed in college for two years and decided to move onto the road to further his music career. He played with Buster Smith, Ray Charles' mentor, the band playing many one-nighters and performing at many dancehalls all over the central United States. At one of these many gigs David met Ray Charles. There was an immediate bond between the two.

In 1954 David joined Ray Charles in a band as the baritone sax player (although he is more famous as a tenor sax and flute player) and began a twelve year gig with Charles. He later joined Herbie Mann, with whom he played for another ten years.

Over the years up to 2005, Newman has recorded over thirty-five albums under his own name, including his first Ray Charles-Presenting David "Fathead" Newman (1959) and a second album Wide Open Spaces produced by Cannonball Adderley the following year.

Always a musicians' musician, Newman is best known for his talent in flute and tenor saxophone and his hard bop style has influenced whole generations of sax players of different genres. He has also played R&B and blues, appearing on recordings with Stanley Turrentine, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, the Average White Band, Jimmy McGriff, Eric Clapton, Natalie Cole, Hank Crawford, Aaron Neville, and most recently with Grammy-nominated Dana Owens (Queen Latifah), and Cheryl Bentyne of The Manhattan Transfer.