sideman

[sahyd-man, -muh n]

noun, plural side·men

[sahyd-men, -muh n] /ˈsaɪdˌmɛn, -mən/.

an instrumentalist in a band or orchestra.
an instrumentalist supporting a soloist or a principal performer.

Origin of sideman

First recorded in 1560–70; side¹ + man¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sideman

Contemporary Examples of sideman

And, the life of a sideman had become all the more difficult in recent years.
A Sax Player, Then a Suspect After Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Final Act
Michael Daly
February 7, 2014
After 19 years, when will he be promoted from sideman to full member of the Rolling Stones?
Stones’ Keyboard Man Is Ardent Forester
David A. Graham
June 16, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for sideman

sideman

noun plural -men

a member of a dance band or a jazz group other than the leader

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sideman

"supporting musician," 1936, from side (adj.) + man (n.). Earlier it meant "assistant to a church warden" (1560s).