Benjamin Francis Webster (Kansas City, Missouri, USA, March 27, 1909 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 20, 1973) was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Ben Webster, a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog", was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins (his main influence) and Lester Young. Known affectionately as "The Brute", he had a tough, raspy, and brutal tone on stomps (with his own distinctive growls), yet on ballads he played with warmth and sentiment.