Bill Potts

Best known for his brief but seminal collaboration with the legendary tenorist Lester Young, jazz arranger, composer, and pianist Bill Potts was born April 3, 1928, in Arlington, VA. After first receiving a Hawaiian guitar from his father, he quickly switched to accordion and won a talent contest at 15 with his rendition of "Twilight Time." While in high school, Potts discovered Count Basie and immediately set his sights on a career as a professional musician, studying composition while transcribing musical charts for the U.S. Army Band from 1949 to 1955.

During this same period he served as chief arranger for THE Orchestra, the boastfully named 15-piece ensemble led by drummer Joe Timer and fronted by disc jockey Willis Conover of Voice of America fame. Potts not only wrote the band's charts, but also authored four songs ("Pill Box," "Light Green," "Playground," and "Willis") on its...

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Bill Potts Albums

2 records

Albums featuring Bill Potts

2 records