Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

John Stubblefield, a highly respected jazz saxophonist who worked for more than three decades as a bandleader, studio musician, and go-to saxophonist for live performances and tours, died of prostate cancer. Stubblefield was born in Little Rock and developed his interest in music while attending church with his mother. After moving from piano to saxophone, he began a professional career playing in clubs in the predominantly Black West Ninth Street area in Little Rock, often sitting in with blues, R&B, and jazz musicians passing through town. He received a BS in music from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff before relocating to Chicago to join the avant-garde jazz collective the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.