Bill Doggett

小简介
1916年出生的Bill Doggett是个很早便在社会上历练的乐师，然而早年便在乐团中领军的他，却收入十分微薄，在一阵挣扎之後他便寻求与爵士乐中之名的乐手合作演出的机会，他曾经是Ink Spot的专司编曲者，更曾经替爵士乐女歌手Ella、铁琴大师Lionel Hampton、爵士钢琴大师Count Basie以及爵士小喇叭天王Louis Armstrong等人做过编曲的工作。 在50年代早期，他以Hammond Organ（电子风琴），开创他个人的风格，以小型乐团演奏节奏蓝调（Rhythm & Blues），这样的乐风让他在R&B越界得到许多的音乐奖与乐评的肯定，单曲Honky Tonk更有销售400万张的佳绩。 而在60年代，比尔积极地参与许多的公民权利促进运动，并担纲演出，就爵士音乐史而言，他是时代所肯定的音乐家，任重而道远的精神，影响後辈；本张专辑收录了他在1977年的录音，就编制上而言，已经是有融合爵士的型态出现了，再加上有拉丁鼓Conga的乐手演出，多元性的乐风，令人激赏！
With his instrumental hit Honky Tonk in February 1956, Bill Doggett (born William Ballard Doggett) created one of rocks greatest instrumental tracks. Although it generated scores of offers to perform in rock & roll clubs throughout the United States, Doggett remained tied to the jazz and organ-based R&B that he had performed since the 1930s. Continuing to record for the Cincinnati-based King label until 1960, he went on to record for Warner Brothers, Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue. His last session came as a member and producer of an all-star jazz/R&B group, Bluesiana Hurricane in 1995.
Born on the north side of Philadelphia, Doggett struggled with poverty as a youngster. Although he initially dreamed of playing the trumpet, his family was unable to afford lessons. Persuaded by his mother (a church pianist), to try keyboards instead, he quickly mastered the instrument. Hailed as a child prodigy by his 13th birthday, he formed his first band, the Five Majors, at the age of 15.
Performing with the Jimmy Gorman Band, the pit orchestra at the Nixon Grand Theater, while still in high school, Doggett assumed leadership of the group in 1938. The experience was brief, however, as Doggett sold the orchestra to Lucky Millinder, with whom he continued to work off and on for the next four years. He made his recording debut on Millinders tracks, Little Old Lady From Baltimore and All Aboard in 1939.
Although he formed a short-lived orchestra with Benny Goodmans arranger, Jimmy Mundy, in late 1939, Doggett continued to work primarily as a sideman. Playing piano and arranging for the Ink Spots from 1942 until 1944, he went on to arrange tunes for Count Basies band and tour and/or record with Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton. Replacing Wild Bill Davis in Louis Jordans band, in 1947, he appeared on the influential tunes, Saturday Night Fish Fry and Blue Light Boogie. He made his debut as an organist during June 1951 recording sessions with Ella Fitzgerald.
Debuting his own organ-led combo at New York nightclub, the Baby Grand, in June 1952, Doggett recorded more than a dozen singles before striking gold with Honky Tonk four years later.
A longtime resident of Long Island, New York, Doggett died on November 13, 1996, three days after suffering a heart attack.