From:   "Dik de Heer" <
Date:  Sat Feb 16, 2002  1:53 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Bill Doggett
 
BILL DOGGETT (By Shaun Mather)

Born William Ballard Doggett, 16 February 1916, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died 13 November 1996, Manhattan, New York City, New York

As early as 1938, Doggett was leading his own big band, which for a year had
the honour of accompanying Lucky Millinder. For the next couple of years he
worked with Jimmy Mundy, Millinder again, The Ink Spots, Johnny Otis and
Illinois Jacquet. It was whilst playing in Louis Jordan's Tympany Five
between 1948 and 1951 that he switched from piano to organ. He again
formed his own band and recorded extensively for King Records where
he scored big with Honky Tonk, which made number 2 in the pop charts
in 1956. This groundbreaking instrumental features the grinding saxophone
of Clifford Scott. The follow-up, a cover of Sil Austin's Slow Walk, reached
number 26 and Soft reached the top 40 the following year. He eventually
recorded over 20 albums for the label. In the sixties he recorded for
Columbia and Warner Bros. Doggett would tour heavily into the eighties.
He died of cancer at Lennox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.

Recommended listening;
EP Collection - See For Miles