American jazz saxophonist. Born September 1, 1925 in Gardena, California, died: June 15, 1982 in Los Angeles, California.
Starting on clarinet & switching to alto-sax at 13, Pepper was playing professionally with Benny Carter by the age of 17. After being drafted for service in 1943, Pepper was a leading alto-saxophonist in the 1950’s, most often associated with the West Coast Jazz scene. A 1982 Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame inductee.