Lester Young was the oldest of three children and grew up in the vicinity of New Orleans. Young studied violin, trumpet, and drums, settling on alto saxophone by about the age of 13. After one of many disputes with his father, he left the family band at the end of 1927. He spent the following year touring with Art Bronson's Bostonians, where he took up tenor saxophone.

Early in 1934, Young joined Count Basie, beginning an association that eventually led to national recognition. By 1936 Young had resumed his association with Basie. In November of that year, with a unit from Basie's band, he made his first recordings. His solos on Lady be Good and Shoe Shine Boy were immediately regarded by musicians, many of whom learned them note for note. During the next few years, as Basie's band became more famous, Young was prominently featured on its recordings and broadcasts.

Young left Basie in December 1940 to form his own small band, which performed at Kelly's Stable in New York early in 1941. This group disbanded early the following year, and Young played as a freelancer in New York and on tour with a USO band before rejoining Basie in December 1943. It was during this second tenure with Basie that Young came to the notice of the general public. In 1944, he won first place in the Down Beat poll for tenor saxophonists, the first of many such honors. He also became the favorite of a new generation of jazz musicians, among them John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Stan Getz. He was prominently featured in the film Jammin' the Blues.

Beginning in 1946 Young spent part of almost every year playing with Jazz at the Philharmonic, touring the rest of the time with his own small groups. From 1947 to 1949 his style showed the influence of some of the young bop musicians in his groups in the occasional use of double-time and in the selection of repertory. He continued to develop and modify his approach successfully except when he was drinking; by this time his reliance on alcohol was becoming a problem. From about 1953 until his death his recordings were noticeably less consistent, yet he was still able to produce some of his best work on concert recordings such as Prez in Europe (1956). He made guest appearances with Basie's band in 1952-4 and again at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957, but he never rejoined as a regular member. He became increasingly dependent on alcohol and on several occasions was hospitalized. In January 1959, he began an engagement at the Blue Note Club in Paris. He made his last recordings there in March, then became severely ill and returned to New York, where he died shortly afterwards.