Saxophonist Contributed to Early Career of Ray Charles

David "Fathead" Newman, 75, the saxophonist who made important musical contributions to the early career of R&B entertainer Ray Charles and later recorded with artists including pop singer Natalie Cole and jazz flutist Herbie Mann, died Jan. 20 at a hospital in Kingston, N.Y. He had pancreatic cancer.

Mr. Newman was often characterized as a "Texas tenor," usually a reference to a bluesy, piercing style of sax from his native Lone Star state. He also brought a tender, lyrical quality to ballads, especially on the alto sax.

Starting in the late 1960s, his skill on several instruments, including the flute, put him in demand in recording sessions featuring Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Dr. John, King Curtis and Mann. He was featured on Cole's hit album "Unforgettable" (1991).

Mr. Newman toured with Charles from 1954 to 1964 and recorded the first of several jazz albums under his own name.

The Charles horn section, of which Mr. Newman was a vital part, laid the groundwork for the fusion of blues, swing and gospel that came to be known as soul. On such songs as "I Got a Woman" (1954), the horns engaged Charles in a call-and-response styled after gospel quartets.

Mr. Newman appeared on many of Charles's most popular recordings, including "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" and "Lonely Avenue" (both 1956). He had a brief stage rivalry with band mate and fellow Texas saxophonist Donald Wilkerson before Wilkerson's departure from the group in the late 1950s.

Charles recalled in his memoir, "Brother Ray," that Mr. Newman played "with a lyricism and a sweetness that Donald lacked. Fathead didn't have Donald's speed and maybe not as much fire but he could make his sax sing the song like no one else. . . . And together -- blowing out in front of the band -- they'd be burning up the place."

Mr. Newman's debut album as a leader, "Ray Charles Presents David Newman" (1958), was highlighted by his alto work on Charles's blues ballad "Hard Times." Later albums on Atlantic Records set Mr. Newman's lyrical sax work against string sections.

David Newman was born Feb. 24, 1933, in Corsicana, near Waco, Tex., and spent his youth in Dallas.

His high school music teacher nicknamed him Fathead supposedly because of his lack of skill in reading music. One of the many versions of the story was that Mr. Newman attempted a John Philip Sousa march from an upside-down score.

Obtaining a church scholarship, Mr. Newman said he attended Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Tex., because it was the cheapest way he could study music.

He later joined the band of Dallas alto saxophonist Buster Smith, a mentor to jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, and toured with Oklahoma bandleader Ernie Fields.