Bill Doggett

William Ballard Doggett ( born February 16, 1916 in Philadelphia, † November 13, 1996 in New York City ) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist.

Life and work

At age nine, Doggett was from his mother, a church pianist, introduced to the music. At 15 he joined a combo in the region of Philadelphia. During his high school years he performed in local theaters and clubs. From 1935 he played in several bands, so Jimmy Gorham's band ( 1935-1938 ), where he rose to become even bandleader shortly before his departure. Meanwhile, Doggett had recruited his own band, which he built in Lucky Millinder DERs band from 1938. His recording debut took place with Little Old Lady From Baltimore 1939. In Millinder he remained as a pianist until the end of 1941 ( one of his last recordings of 6 November 1941 That's All ) and let him form his own band. In early 1942, began Doggett as an arranger and pianist for the Ink Spots, where he remained until October 1944. In 1947 he replaced for a short time the organist Wild Bill Davis with Louis Jordan's Tympany Five. Doggett is heard here as in the famous recordings of Saturday Night Fish Fry ( September 1949 ) or the Blue Light Boogie (July 1950). As of June 1951, he played in recording sessions by Ella Fitzgerald also regularly organ, from June 1952, he joined with its own organ trio dominated on the New York nightclub Baby Grand.

So far, the talented Doggett was only heard as a band member on records by other artists. That changed in January 1952, when he received a recording contract with King Records with his combo. Already on 19 January 1952 first recording session was convened in New York in the next three further recordings, the A- side of his first single, Big Dog ( King # 4530 ) was born. His producer Henry Glover showed patience because it took 19 singles until stopped the first singles chart success. On 16 June 1956 he took his own composition Honky Tonk Pt. 1 / Honky Tonk Pt. 2 ( King # 4950 ) on an organ emphasized and strongly syncopated instrumental recording, which immediately reached the first place in the rhythm & blues charts after its release in August 1956 and remained there for 10 weeks. The song was a plate sales of 4 million -selling hit for the King label and placed with a No. 2 pop hit parade as a good crossover. The fast-paced Orgelriff forms in the song were recorded live, the basis for staccato solos of tenor saxophonist Clifford Scott, which in turn were connected by fast guitar chords by Billy Butler. The follow-up single Slow Walk / Hand In Hand ( King # 5000) was published in December 1956 and managed a fourth place in the R & B charts. On 21 December 1956, he recalled in the recording studio to Lucky Millinder DERs composition Ram -Bunk - Shush, he to # 10 R & B led in March 1957. One last big hit was recorded on June 17, 1958 Song Hold It / Birdie, which reached a third rank of the R & B charts.

1961 Doggett moved to Warner, then to Columbia and ABC.

In the 70s, he celebrated at the Jazz Festival in Nice a documented on several LPs on the French Black & Blue label comeback, however, this was short-lived.

Discography (select singles )

  • Big Dog / Big Dog (King 4530 ), January 19, 1951
  • Mistreater / Early Bird (King 4591 ), October 30, 1952
  • Real Gone Mambo / No More In Life (King 4617 ), February 18, 1953
  • There's No You / Easy ( King 4711 ), December 15, 1953
  • Winter Wonderland / Christmas Song (King 4742 ), May 24, 1954
  • Street Scene / Oof! (King 4795 ), March 23, 1955
  • Honky Tonk Pt. 1 / Honky Tonk Pt. 2 (King 4950 ), June 16, 1956 ( The single was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2006. )
  • Slow Walk / Hand In Hand (King 5000), October 29, 1956 / June 16, 1956
  • Leaps And Bounds Pt. 1 / Leaps And Bounds Pt. 2 (King 5101 ), September 18, 1956
  • Hold It / Birdie (King 5149 ), June 17, 1958 / April 3, 1958
  • Rainbow Riot Pt. 1 / Rainbow Riot Pt. 2 (King 5159 ), September 23, 1958
  • Bill Doggett ( Black & Blue 1978) with Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Eddie Vinson, Milt Hinton, JC Heard
  • Jazz Pianist
  • Blues musicians
  • American musician
  • Born 1916
  • Died in 1996
  • Man
King Records (United States) Billy Butler (guitarist) Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Integrated Authority File
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