Joseph Thomas, Lunceford Band Saxophonist, Dies

Joseph (Joe) Thomas, who played with and later briefly led the Jimmie Lunceford band, died Tuesday in Kansas City. He was 77.

The tenor saxophonist and clarinet player, who also sang, joined Lunceford in 1932 and remained with Lunceford’s highly polished group until 1947, when Lunceford died. He and Ed Wilcox led the band for a short time, before Thomas branched out and formed his own group.