Joe Williams
Joe Williams was the last great big-band singer, a smooth baritone who graced the rejuvenated Count Basie Orchestra during the 1950s and captivated audiences well into the '90s. Born in Georgia, he moved to Chicago with his grandmother at the age of three. Reunited with his mother, she taught him to play the piano and took him to the symphony. Though tuberculosis slowed him down as a teenager, Williams began performing at social events and formed his own gospel vocal quartet, the Jubilee Boys.
By the end of the '30s he had made the transition to the Chicago club scene, and appeared with orchestras led by Jimmie Noone and Les Hite during the late '30s. He sang with Coleman Hawkins and Lionel Hampton during the early '40s, and toured with Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy during the mid-'40s (making his first recording with that band). Still, lingering illness kept him sidelined from active touring, and he worked as a theater doorman and door-to-door cosmetics salesman before his first minor hit for Checker, 1952's "Every Day I Have the Blues."
Finally, at the age of 35, he got his big break when in 1954 he was hired as the male vocalist for Count Basie's Orchestra. He soon helped audiences forget the absence of Basie's long-time vocalist, Jimmy Rushing. Indeed, he did more than just pull his own weight during the '50s; he became a major star in his own right and helped revive the lagging fortunes of the Basie band. His first (and best) LP, Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings, appeared in 1955, containing definitive versions of "Every Day I Have the Blues" (already his signature song) and "Alright, Okay, You Win." "Every Day" hit number two on the R&B charts, and sparked another LP -- 1957's The Greatest! Count Basie Swings/Joe Williams Sings Standards -- spotlighting Williams' command of the traditional pop repertory. Even while performing and touring the world with Basie during the late '50s, Williams made his solo-billed debut LP for Regent in 1956, and followed it with a trio of albums for Roulette.
Despite an inevitable parting from Basie in 1961, Williams stayed close to the fold, working in a small group led by Basieite Harry "Sweets" Edison, then formed his own quartet in 1962. For his RCA debut, 1963's Jump for Joy, the lineup included jazz greats Thad Jones, Clark Terry, Snooky Young, Kenny Burrell, Oliver Nelson, Urbie Green, and Phil Woods. He recorded two more albums during the year -- At Newport '63 and Me and the Blues -- and hit another peak in 1966 with an LP for Blue Note, Presenting Joe Williams and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Though he toured consistently during the '70s, his recordings fell off until a pair of mid-'80s LPs for Delos, Nothin' But the Blues and I Just Wanna Sing. After the former won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, he landed a recurring role on the popular television series The Cosby Show and signed a contract for Verve.
Live appearances at Vine St. resulted in material for his first two Verve albums, Every Night: Live at Vine St. and Ballad and Blues Master. Still in extraordinarily fine voice, Williams recorded two more albums for Verve and toured constantly during the '90s. He appeared again with Count Basie's Orchestra (led by Frank Foster), released several albums through Telarc, and remained one of the most talented jazz vocalists in the world right up until his death in 1999.
© John Bush /TiVo
Artistes similaires
-
Sing Along with Basie
The Count Basie Orchestra, Joe Williams, Lambert, Hendricks And Ross
Jazz - Paru chez Music Manager le 10 août 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Collection - Count Basie - Joe Williams
Jazz - Paru chez JamadaDigital le 10 févr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Every Day I Have the Blues
Joe Williams, The Count Basie Orchestra
Jazz vocal - Paru chez Music Manager le 22 juin 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
One More for My Baby
Jazz - Paru chez LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records le 3 mars 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anytime Anyday Anywhere
Jazz - Paru chez Black & Partner Licenses LLC le 1 avr. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water (Live)
Blues - Paru chez Arkadia Records le 23 déc. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Night at Count Basie's (Live)
Jazz - Paru chez Music Manager le 9 août 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Ultimate Jazz Archive 42 - Vocalists - 1946 - 55 (3 Of 4)
Jazz - Paru chez Carinco AG le 18 févr. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Together
Joe Williams, Harry "Sweets" Edison
Pop - Paru chez Music Manager le 7 févr. 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
One O'Clock Jump (Mono Version)
Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Joe Williams
Jazz vocal - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
-
Four Classic Albums (a Night at Count Basie's / a Man Ain't Supposed to Cry / Everyday I Have the Blues / Just the Blues) (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Paru chez AVID Jazz le 2 avr. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Joe Willims Sings - Count Basie Plays and Swings
Jazz - Paru chez EG Jazz le 31 mars 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
One More for My Baby
Jazz - Paru chez LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records le 3 mars 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sings About You/Sentimental And Melancholy (2004 Remaster)
Pop - Paru chez Parlophone UK le 8 oct. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Joe Williams (Vintage Charm)
Jazz - Paru chez Don't stop the music le 11 janv. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maybelle's Blues (Recordings of 1940 - 1961)
Joe Williams, Big Maybelle, Elmore James
Blues - Paru chez Blues Classics le 31 oct. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You Are Free
Jazz vocal - Paru chez Nagel Heyer Records GmbH le 4 juil. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Allright, Okay, You Win
Jazz - Paru chez Starsound Records le 13 sept. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shake, Rattle and Roll (Live)
Rock - Paru chez Arkadia Records le 10 mars 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Girl Blue (Live)
Jazz vocal - Paru chez Arkadia Records le 27 janv. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo