Johnny Lytle was born Oct. 13, 1932 into a musical family; his father a trumpeter and his mother an organist.

Johnny began playing drums and piano while growing up in Springfield, Ohio before specializing in the vibraphone.

Hailed as "the greatest vibes player in the world" by Lionel Hampton, Johnny was a world-renowned

Vibraphonist who recorded more than 30 jazz albums and wrote a number of hit songs. Throughout his career Johnny played and recorded alongside music greats from Ray Charles to Jimmy Witherspoon, Louis

Armstrong, Miles Davis and more. During the peak of his career in the mid 1960's Lytle was making his own records with players such as Houston Person, Wynton Kelly and Johnny Griffin, but he shunned major record labels in order to preserve the sounds that he wanted.

He was always eager to share his music close to home, whether it was in schools, churches or small clubs.

Johnny's most endearing quality was his willingness to play for anyone just for the love of it. Johnny gave his last concert with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra just before his death on Dec. 15, 1995. The street where he lived in Springfield, Ohio was renamed Johnny Lytle Avenue in his honor.

Johnny Lyle is interred in Ferncliff Cemetery, Section 29.