Byllye Williams

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Byllye Williams (born April 13, 1922 in Dowagiac , Michigan as Byllye Elizabeth Blassengame , married Byllye Laskaitis , † November 4, 1958 ) was an American jazz singer and pianist .

Life

Byllye Williams grew up temporarily in Chicago and in her native city. Her father was a preacher; She gained her first musical experience with gospel music in churches. She began her musical career in Chicago in late 1940 as Byllye B. Williams . In the 1940s she performed as a pianist and singer in Chicago nightclubs with a mixture of piano bar music, pop pieces, jazz and blues , first in early 1941 in Fay's Rose Bowl (655 East 43rd), where she was featured as a blues singer was then advertised at the Piccadilly Inn (3652 Indiana) as a “ sensational torch singer ” and “one of the city's leading vocalists”. The Chicago Defender described it as "one of the greatest pianist and song stylist of the city." After a prolonged exposure to Millie's Cocktail Lounge and the Flame Lounge (3020 Indiana) created in 1947 the first recording of the short-lived label Opera , the later of Savoy published were.

She became known in the early 1950s for her recordings for the Theron label , such as "Salty Simple Fool", and she continued to make guest appearances in well-known clubs in the city. Williams also appeared under her nickname "Jet" in 1953; that year she recorded her composition "I'm So Lucky" accompanied by Leon Washington's All Stars . After falling ill in mid-1957, she had to end her career in April 1958; she died of cervical cancer in November 1958 .

Individual references / comments

  1. ↑ In the original: “one of the city's finest pianists and song stylists.” Quoted from Campbell / Sattworth.
  2. ^ A b Robert Pruter, Robert L. Campbell, and Dr. Robert Stallworth: The Theron Label ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hubcap.clemson.edu
personal data
SURNAME Williams, Byllye
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blassengame, Byllye Elizabeth; Laskaitis, Byllye
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues and jazz singer and pianist
DATE OF BIRTH April 13, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Dowagiac , Michigan , United States
DATE OF DEATH 4th November 1958
Place of death Chicago , Illinois , United States