Karl Denson is a generational music talent. For the last generation, his resume has spoken or rather screamed for itself. Not only is he a founding member of the legendary Greyboy Allstars, his numerous personal music projects including Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and KD3 are just as legendary.
When you have Denson’s talent on the sax, flute, etc., you are sought out by a wide range of musicians to join them in the studio or live on stage. You’ll find a long list of Denson’s musical cohorts in the membership of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame including Steve Winwood, The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh, and perhaps the greatest of all time The Rolling Stones. Denson’s been hanging and touring with the Stones for years.
Despite the millions of people Denson has reached through his multiple musical projects over the last generation, one of his first “bands” might be as legendary as The Rolling Stones. But for the completely opposite reason.
Believe it or not, Denson is a “member” of Randy Watson’s (Jackson Heights NY legend) backing band Sexual Chocolate. That’s right. Denson was the man on the sax for the unforgettable cover of Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All in the 1988 movie “Coming to America.” Denson and the band reunited for 2021’s sequel “Coming 2 America.”
A brief pause for those who have followed Karl Denson for years and did not know this to take a moment to collect themselves
While his scene is legitimately one of the most popular and quoted among movie lovers, Denson really doesn’t have much to show for his unique contribution to cinematic history. Many years in the rear-view mirror, Denson tells Slideandbanjo.com the story of how he landed the role and its never ending legacy.
“I played with this artist O’Brien Burnett in the early 80’s. He was managed by Soul Train mogul Don Cornelius. From that association, I ended up in a band called Kush. The drummer was working for John Landis (movie director) on the Paramount lot as his gopher. Landis found out Jeff had a band and wrote us in the script. It was very quick. The first movie, we actually went into the studio and recorded the classic track. You know, I believe the children are our future. We recorded that in a studio and then did it on set with Eddie Murphy. It was like one day on the set. The same thing for the second movie except we didn’t do the soundtrack. They had a prerecorded soundtrack and we mimed the whole thing.”
Denson chuckles, “It’s funny. I love over the years having people that have known me forever, just finding out about the Sexual Chocolate thing. My favorite is when I get a call from a friend I’ve known for a long time. They call me on the phone and are like dude, I’m watching “Coming to America.” You’re in Sexual Chocolate? It’s the funniest thing ever. That’s pre-everything.”
“Sexual Chocolate never got a credit in either one of those movies. If you look at the reel as the movie goes out, there’s no credit. You can’t find us on IMDB. It’s a travesty (laughs).”
Denson will never have to worry about his loads of musical accomplishments being overlooked. He’s the very rare musician’s musician. That’s led to a long-term stint as the sax man for The Rolling Stones. Something that even Denson has to stop and take a moment to digest every now and again. “It’s mind blowing nightly. People always ask me, Dude what it’s like playing with the Stones? I’m like, it’s the fucking Rolling Stones. That’s all you can say. It’s exactly what you think it would be. It’s that plush, it’s that cool, it’s that vibey, it’s that big, it’s that nice. I tell the band every year, just to let you know, none of this is lost on me. I’ve been here over ten years and am still getting my mind blown all the time.”
Well into a musical career that many would sacrifice an appendage or two to achieve, Denson finds himself enjoying the fruits of his labor. His biggest problem seems to be having too many musical options to fit his schedule. “The Karl Denson Universe has been doing a great job. We changed management a few years ago. It’s been a process to schedule shows. Having conflicting dates and things like that. We’ve got it rolling smooth now. A few months ago, the Greyboy Allstars manager said, let’s take November. I was like ok. I’ll tell the Universe manager November is for GBA. I’ll also make sure my schedule runs where if the Allstars play the west coast; my other band’s west coast runs aren’t within a couple of months of that. You only worry about the logistics. We communicate and make sure everyone has enough space to do our thing. It’s worked out great.”
“I’m having a good life, I have to admit. I’m very happy where I am musically and creatively. The thing I thought music was about in the beginning, turned out to be exactly what it is. It keeps on giving and teaching me more things. It’s been a fun journey. To meet all these great musicians, get to play with them and make art. It’s been amazing.”