Billy Wooten
Billy Wooten (born in New York City ; died March 2016 in Indianapolis ) was an American soul, jazz and rhythm and blues vibraphone player .
Billy Wooten first learned the piano and then played various wind instruments such as the trumpet, trombone and french horn before turning to the vibraphone and marimba while in college at Rutgers University . He left college around 1960/61 and went on tour in the backing band of the blues singer duo Dean and Jean . From 1964 to 1968 he toured with his own formation, called Billy Wooten and the Invaders , which played jazz and rhythm and blues . With this group he also accompanied Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight . In 1968 he played in Indianapolis , where he got an engagement with his soul jazz group in the Hub-Bub Lounge on West 34th Street, and later at the 19th Hole club on Harding Street.
From 1969 to 1971 Wooten went on tour with guitarist Grant Green and appeared on some Blue Note albums Greens from this period such as Visions and Shades of Green (1971). As a sideman, Wooten was also involved in recordings of the singer Jerry Butler and his formation Soulful Strings . With members of the Green Band, drummer Harold Cardwell and organist Emmanuel Riggins , he returned to Indianapolis to perform again in the 19th Hole under the band name Wooden Glass . The ensemble recorded a live album in 1972, which was released on Wooten's own Interim label , and a studio album ( 19th Hole ) which was released on Eastbound Records.
Discographic notes
- The Wooden Glass Recorded Live featuring Billy Wooten (1972)
- Lost Tapes (P-Vine, 1972–1980, ed. 2007)
- In This World (Vivid Sound, 2001)
Web links
- Web presence
- Jazz & Ragtime in Indiana ( Memento from December 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- Discographic information at Allmusic
- Bielefeld catalog 1988 & 2002
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 8th edition. Penguin, London 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9 .
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wooten, Billy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wooten, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | before 1960 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |