Joe williams jazz singer biography
Joe williams jazz singer biography
Joe williams...
Bio
Joe Williams' versatile baritone voice made him one of the signature male vocalists in jazz annals, responsible for some of the Count Basie band's main hits in the 1950s.
Though born in Georgia, Williams was raised in that great haven of the blues, Chicago, Illinois.
His first professional job came with clarinetist Jimmie Noone in 1937. In the 1940s, in addition to singing in Chicago area groups, he worked with the big bands of Coleman Hawkins, Lionel Hampton, and Andy Kirk.
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Later he sang with two of Cafe Society's renowned pianists, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson. From 1950-53, he worked mostly with the Red Saunders band. What came after would be a job he would cherish and return to frequently throughout his career: fronting the Count Basie band.
Often referred to jokingly as "Count Basie's #1 son," he stepped right into the band upon the departure of Jimmy Rushing. Williams was the perfect replacement in that he did not just duplicate Rushing's vocal style, but offered