William English (August 27, 1925 – March 4, 2007) was an American jazz drummer.
Bill English | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William English |
| Born | August 27, 1925 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 2007 (aged 81) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, R&B (early) |
| Instruments | Drums |
Early life edit
English played early in his career with rhythm and blues musicians in the 1950s, including Sonny Thompson and Amos Milburn.[1] He then worked with Julian Dash, Bennie Green, and Erskine Hawkins in the mid-1950s before becoming a house drummer at New York's Apollo Theatre. Late in the 1950s he worked with his own ensemble, and in the 1960s played with Earl Hines, Prestige Blues Swingers, Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones, Joe Newman, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, and Eddie Jefferson. He remained active into the 1970s, working with Eric Dixon among others.[2]
References edit
- Footnotes
- ^ McClellan, Lawrence (2004). The Later Swing Era, 1942 to 1955. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30157-5.
- ^ Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-532000-8.
- General references
- Barry Kernfeld, "Bill English". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, 2004.