Oldest person to release a debut solo album (male)

Jazz musician Marshall Allen (USA, b. 25 May 1924) released his debut solo album New Dawn on 14 February 2025 at the age of 100 years 265 days. In a career spanning almost 70 years, the legendary saxophonist and Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader had never released a solo album under his own name before he was approached to curate a list of some of his previously unrecorded compositions with the help of his long-time Sun Ra bandmate Knoel Scott. Recording sessions began two days after his 100th birthday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the finished collection includes “African Sunset”, the 10-minute “Boma” and the mellow title track, featuring vocals from Neneh Cherry. A host of guest musicians assisted Allen on a record described as a “love letter to spacetime that channels a century of musical transience and transcendence”.

Musicians on the album include Week-End Records founder Jan Lankisch (percussion), who first approached Allen to make a solo record, guitarist Bruce Edwards, trumpeter Cecil Brooks and the album’s “predominant driving force” Scott (baritone sax, congas, drums), Allen’s lifelong friend.

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Allen made his name performing alongside jazz pianist Art Simmons and saxophonists Carlos “Don” Byas and James Moody before enrolling in the Conservatoire de Paris. After relocating to Chicago, Allen became a pupil of jazz composer, bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Sun Ra (aka Le Sony’r Ra; b. Herman Blount), joining his Arkestra in 1958 and, after almost 40 years fronting its reed section, becoming the collective’s new leader in 1995.

New Dawn gives Allen not only the record for the oldest person to release a debut album – previously war veteran Colin Thackery (b. 9 March 1930), who was 89 years 272 days old when Love Changes Everything was released on 6 December 2019 – but also the oldest person to release an album of new material. Tony Bennett (b. Anthony Benedetto, 3 August 1926) was 95 years 58 days old when Love for Sale, his second collaborative album with vocalist Lady Gaga, was released on 30 September 2021. With a release date of 14 February 2025, Far Out magazine’s Jamie Demetriou said New Dawn was an “excellent Valentine’s gift for fans of jazz and Afrofuturism everywhere”.