William Ballard "Bill" Doggett (February 16,
1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and
organist. He is best known for his compositions "Honky Tonk" and
"Hippy Dippy", and variously working with the Ink Spots, Johnny Otis,
Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Jordan.
William Ballard Doggett was born February 16, 1916, on
the north side of Philadelphia. At age nine, Doggett was attracted to the
trumpet, but his family could not afford one.
Bill's mother, Wynona, was a church pianist and his inspiration. Within
a few years, he switched to the piano and was hailed as a child prodigy by the
time he was thirteen. At fifteen, he formed his first combo, the Five Majors.
While attending Central High School, he found work playing in the pit orchestra
at the Nixon Grand theater with the Jimmy Gorman Band.
Eventually, he inherited Gorman's fifteen-piece
orchestra. His career as a band leader was short-lived as he came to the
conclusion that the field was over crowded. In financial distress , he sold the
band to Lucky Millender and joined Millender himself. In 1939, Doggett with Jimmy Munder, Benny
Goodman's arranger, form an orchestra. Later that year Doggett made his first
two recordings as part of Lucky's band, "Little Old Lady From
Baltimore" and "All Aboard," released on the Varsity label.
Doggett returned to Millender's orchestra as a pianist in
1941. He appeared on the next eight of Millender's recordings. In late 1942, he
joined the Ink Spots and became the group's arranger and pianist. He stayed with the group two years during
which he recorded five singles with them.
The next ten years, Doggett toured and recorded with
several of the nation's top singer and bands, including Johnny Otis, Wynonie
Harris, Louis Jordan, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton.
In 1949 he joined Louis Jordan, as a pianist replacing
Wild Bill Davis. Doggett was a featured performer on many of Jordan's classic
Decca recordings including "Saturday Night Fish Fry' and "Blue Light
Boogie." Doggett credited his time with Jordan for educating him to the
finer points of pleasing an audience.
When Doggett decided to form another combo he was torn
with should he use the organ in a "pop" music setting. Like most musicians of that time, Doggett
felt the sound of the organ was sacred and should be reserved for a church
setting. However, when on he own he decided that he needed a fresh sound to set
him apart from other piano combos. It was an agonizing design, but he felt it
was the right one in switching to the organ. In late 1951 he formed a trio and
quickly landed a recording contract with Cincinnati's King Records.
While with King 1952-56, more than a dozen singles were
released. Many were moderately successful within the rhythm and blues community
and some even caught on with the jazz fans.
Most of the records were delivered in the mildly swinging groove
reflecting his years with Millender and Jordan. He also recorded in the slow
blues style perfected during his years with Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots.
His best known recording is "Honky Tonk", a
rhythm and blues hit of 1956 which sold four million copies (reaching No. 1
R&B and No. 2 Pop), and which he co-wrote with Billy Butler. The track
topped the US Billboard R&B chart for over two months. He won the Cash Box
award for best rhythm and blues performer in 1957, 1958, and 1959.
Doggett remained with King Records until 1960. The next
few years he recorded for Warner Brothers.
After that Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue for sporadic singles and
albums. His strong drawing power allowed him to work jazz festivals in America
and Europe. It was during the mid sixties rock and roll had changed forms and
left him behind. At the same time his
popularity in the jazz community had declined. Finding it hard to get regular
bookings, he turned his efforts toward the passage of civil rights passage
using his concerts to promote public awareness.
By the 1970s, Doggett had re-established himself in the jazz community and regular offers of bookings started to come in. He played regional jazz clubs in New Orleans, Cleveland and New York State. A long-time resident of Long Island, New York, Doggett continued to play and arrange until he died on November 13, 1996, three days after suffering a heart attack.
(Info edited from History of Rock & Wikipedia)
Here’s a TV gig in France. Billy Martin - tenor sax; Benny
Goodwin - guitar; Walter MacMahon - bass; Kenny Clayton - drums.
3 comments:
For “Bill Doggett - The Ep Collection” go here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/xdn4f7y7vvf48p4/BDEC99.rar
1- Honky Tonk Parte 1 (3:07)
2- Honky Tonk Parte 2 (2:36)
3- The Song is Ended (2:16)
4- And The Angels Sing (2:35)
5- What A Difference a Day Made (2:52)
6- When Your Lover Has Gone (2:44)
7- Bubbins Rock (1:57)
8- On The Sunny Side of the Street (2:53)
9- Satin Doll (3:08)
10-Perdido (2:29)
11- Caravan (2:22)
12- C Jam Blues (2:23)
13- Chloe (2:50)
14- Flying Home (2:20)
15- How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me (2:22)
16- Back Door (2:50)
17- Blit Blop (2:46)
18- Blues For Handy (2:35)
19- Birdie (2:38)
20- Hold It (2:30)
21- George Washington Twist (2:24)
22- Rainbow Riot Parte 1 y 2 (4:36)
23- The Madison (3:04)
24- Raw Turkey (2:42)
25- Smokie Parte 2 (3:03)
A very big thank you to Manu Bolo @ discospiolas.blogspot.co.uk for working link.
Honky Tonk, a song from my youth. Thanks Bob.
I bought 'Honky Tonk' on 78 when I was in the RAF in 1956. Played it non-stop in our billet,it was so popular.
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