Although he was never a major soloist, Fud Livingston participated in some classic recording sessions in the late '20s. He played accordion and piano as a child before switching to saxophone. During the summer of 1923 Livingston worked with Talmadge Henry in Greensboro, SC. In the mid- to late '20s, he was with Ben Pollack, then left to join the California Ramblers and had stints with Jean Goldkette, Pollack again (1926-1927), Nat Shilkret, Don Voorhees, and Jan Garber. As a freelancer, Livingston appeared on many recordings including with Joe Venuti, Red Nichols, and Miff Mole. He wrote borderline avant-garde arrangements, including "Humpty Dumpty" for Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke, and performed solos on records (although he tended to be overshadowed). In 1929 he played with Fred Elizalde in London for a few months, freelanced back in New York, and then joined up with Paul Whiteman. By 1930, Livingston's playing took a backseat to his arranging, and he contributed charts to the orchestras of Paul Whiteman (1930-1933), Benny Goodman (1934), and others. Livingston played reeds with Jimmy Dorsey (1935-1937) before largely retiring from playing. He contributed arrangements to Bob Zurke's Orchestra and for Pinky Tomlin in 1940. Livingston, who never led his own recording date, become involved in music publishing during his last 15 years, although he occasionally worked as a pianist in New York during his last years, toiling away in obscurity. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
