The Jazz Organ Scene
USA
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Bill Willis
Bill (* 1931 in Louisville, Kentucky) was a songwriter, bassist, organist. He was house bass player at King Records and had learned to play organ from Bill Doggett. Bill picked up his first bass at a pawnshop after he was discharged from the Marines in 1954. A self-taught player, Bill premiered as a professional performer two years later at the Zanzibar in Buffalo, backing Billie Holiday, who gave Bill the nickname "Namesake".
Ultimately, Bill joined Holiday's quartet, performing around western New York and Toronto. Such valuable experience helped Willis develop his bass chops more fully, and when he landed in Cincinnati in 1957, he was ready to emerge as staff bassist at the King Records studios. As bassist on many of Freddie King's recordings, he provided solid, driving, bedrock support on such gems as "Have You Ever Loved a Woman", "Hide Away", "See See Baby", "I'm Tore Down". Bill played on many other seminal sides, including Little Willie John's "Sleep", Hank Ballard's "Let's Go", Bobby Turner's "Tossing and Turning", and James Brown's "This Old House". Bill's Fender bass playing, among the earliest recorded and widely disseminated on blues recordings, helped establish the sound and patterns of countless bass players. Bill passed away in 2010. from allmusic.com |
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Been A Long Time Tone-Cool Records TC 34047-1180-2 |
Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, sax Eric Johnson, guitar Gordie Johnson, guitar Willie Nelson, guitar Derek O'Brien, guitar Van Wilks, guitar Kenny Wayne Shepherd, guitar Doyle Bramhall, guitar, vocals Jimmie Vaughan, guitar, vocals Susan Tedeschi, guitar, vocals Charlie Sexton, guitar, bass, percussion, organ, piano, vocals Tommy Shannon, guitar, bass Denny Freeman, guitar, Wurlitzer Riley Osbourne, Wurlitzer Bill Willis, organ Reese Wynans, organ, piano Dr. John, piano, vocals Leigh Mahoney, strings Sara Nelson, strings Tosca, strings Chris Layton, drums, percussion, piano Jonny Lang, vocals Malford Milligan, vocals Lou Ann Barton, vocals |
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Pinetop Perkins And Friends Telarc CD-83680 recorded June 2008 |
Pinetop Perkins, piano, vocals Eric Clapton, guitar Paul Diethelm, guitar Little Frank Krakowski, guitar B.B. King, guitar, vocals Eric Sardinas, guitar, vocals Jimmie Vaughan, guitar, vocals Bill Willis, Hammond organ Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, harmonica Willie Kent, bass Bob Stroger, bass Kester Smith, drums Leon Smith, drums Nora Jean Bruso, vocals |
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The Best! RockBeat Records ROC-3201 compilation |
Lou Ann Barton, vocals Joe Sublett, alto sax, tenor sax David "Fathead" Newman, tenor sax Greg Piccolo, tenor sax Al Garthy, sax Mark Kazanoff, sax Rocky Morales, sax Doug James, baritone sax Kas Kasenoff, baritone sax Luke McMamee, baritone sax Ephraim Owens, trumpet Denny Freeman, guitar David Grissom, guitar Derek O'Brien, guitar Bill Pitman, guitar Mel Brown, piano Dr. John, piano Danny Levin, piano Mike Kindred, piano Bill Willis, organ Reese Wynans, organ Barry Beckett, keyboards Clayton Ivey, keyboards Kim Wilson, harmonica Keith Ferguson, bass Jon Blondell, bass Sarah Brown, bass David Hood, bass Ronnie James, bass Tommy Shannon, bass Fran Christina, drums Roger Hawkins, drums Chris Layton, drums George Rains, drums Jimmie Vaughan, vocals |
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