Born in 1938, Lloyd grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Trumpeter Booker Little was a childhood friend and pianist Phineas Newborn a mentor. By his teens, Lloyd was hitting the road with Howlin’ Wolf, among other blues icons. In 1956, he moved to Los Angeles and earned a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California. During this time, Lloyd played in Gerald Wilson’s big band; he also had his own group with Billy Higgins, Don Cherry, Bobby Hutcherson and Terry Trotter, building a reputation as an exceptional saxophonist and a composer of strikingly original melodies. Lloyd joined Chico Hamilton in 1960, becoming his music director; he left Hamilton’s group to join alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. Through 1965-69, Lloyd led a quartet with some of the most exciting players of the day: Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee, and Jack DeJohnette. Lloyd’s 1967 album Forest Flower: Live at Monterey became an FM-radio hit, driven by the title track, and he was voted DownBeat magazine’s jazzman of the year. The band toured European festivals to acclaim, along with making a now-legendary foray into the Soviet Union. After this dizzying activity, the quartet disbanded in 1970. Lloyd retreated from the limelight, virtually disappearing from the jazz scene for most of two decades.